Department for Transport

Heathrow Airport: Construction

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of Heathrow expansion on local road networks.

Kelly Tolhurst: Our airports are national assets and their expansion is a core part of boosting our global connectivity. This in turn will drive economic growth for all parts of this country, connecting our nations and regions to international markets, levelling up our economy and supporting a truly Global Britain. The Court of Appeal ruled on 27 February that when designating the Airports National Policy Statement, which was backed by Parliament, the previous Government did not take account of the Paris Agreement, non-CO2 emissions and emissions post 2050. We have always been clear that Heathrow expansion is a private sector project which must meet strict criteria on air quality, noise and climate change, as well as being privately financed, affordable, and delivered in the best interest of consumers. The Government has taken the decision not to appeal this judgment. The promoters of the scheme will be able to seek permission from the Supreme Court to appeal if they wish. As part of its judgment, the Court has declared that the Airports National Policy Statement is of no legal effect unless and until the government carries out a review under the Planning Act 2008. The Court’s judgment is complex and requires careful consideration. We will set out our next steps in due course.

Heathrow Airport: Construction

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish analysis undertaken by his Department on the effect on the M25 of the expansion of Heathrow being constructed over that motorway.

Kelly Tolhurst: Our airports are national assets and their expansion is a core part of boosting our global connectivity. This in turn will drive economic growth for all parts of this country, connecting our nations and regions to international markets, levelling up our economy and supporting a truly Global Britain. The Court of Appeal ruled on 27 February that when designating the Airports National Policy Statement, which was backed by Parliament, the previous Government did not take account of the Paris Agreement, non-CO2 emissions and emissions post 2050. We have always been clear that Heathrow expansion is a private sector project which must meet strict criteria on air quality, noise and climate change, as well as being privately financed, affordable, and delivered in the best interest of consumers. The Government has taken the decision not to appeal this judgment. The promoters of the scheme will be able to seek permission from the Supreme Court to appeal if they wish. As part of its judgment, the Court has declared that the Airports National Policy Statement is of no legal effect unless and until the government carries out a review under the Planning Act 2008. The Court’s judgment is complex and requires careful consideration. We will set out our next steps in due course.

Aviation: Alcoholic Drinks

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an alcohol limit for airline passengers.

Kelly Tolhurst: It is vital that passengers drink responsibly and are aware of the penalties of being drunk on an aircraft. The Government supports the industry’s approach to this issue, including the UK Aviation Industry Code of Practice on Disruptive Passengers, and initiatives such as the ‘One Too Many’ awareness campaign and the introduction of tamper-proof bags for duty free alcohol sales. The Government continues to work in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority, airports and airlines to consider further measures needed to tackle this problem.

Highways England: Pay

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he will take to ensure that pay rises are distributed equitably among all pay bands at Highways England.

Kelly Tolhurst: I would like to reassure you that the Secretary of State is placing significant focus on pay in the Department’s arm’s length bodies including Highways England (HE). Responsibility for setting pay levels within HE sits with the company, overseen by its Remuneration Committee. HE manages pay in accordance with public sector pay guidance from Cabinet Office, and a framework set by the Department for Transport, which places controls on the numbers and pay of the highest paid staff. The 2019 pay awards for all HE employees, including those in the senior cadre, were based on 1%; however, following recently completed negotiations, an additional, backdated award is being made which will mean that employees below senior level will receive awards for 2019 based on a total of 2%. This will mean that using HE’s approach to pay review individuals will receive awards in the range 1.5% to 4% for 2019/20. Performance Related Pay (PRP), in relation to 2018-19 performance for the grades below the senior group resulted in 4,106 staff receiving a payment, with an average value of £1,392.

Highways England: Pay

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to tackle pay disparities between senior executives and staff at pay bands one to eight at Highways England.

Kelly Tolhurst: I would like to reassure you that the Secretary of State is placing significant focus on pay in the Department’s arm’s length bodies including Highways England. Responsibility for setting pay levels within Highways England sits with the company, overseen by its Remuneration Committee. HE manages pay in accordance with public sector pay guidance from Cabinet Office, and a framework set by the Department for Transport, which places controls on the numbers and pay of the highest paid staff. The company’s approach to pay aims to strike the right balance between value for money and building and maintaining the organisational capability required to operate the strategic road network and deliver DfT’s investment programmes. The 2019 pay awards for all HE employees, including those at the senior level, were based on 1%; however, following recently completed negotiations between the company and the Trade Unions, an additional, backdated award is being made which will mean that employees below senior level will receive awards for 2019 based on a total of 2%. This will mean that using HE’s approach to pay review individuals will receive awards in the range 1.5% to 4% for 2019/20.

Bus Services: North West

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Government has to increase funding for bus services in (a) Blackpool and (b) the North West.

Kelly Tolhurst: The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding service provision are primarily a commercial matter for bus operators. However, the Bus Services Act 2017 provides the tools local authorities need to improve local bus services and increase passenger numbers. The annual Bus Service Operators Grant the Government provided for Blackpool Borough Council during 2018/19 was £41,141. We have announced an additional £30 million of additional funding to improve current services and restoring lost services. Blackpool Council has been allocated £41,640 which will be available from April 2020 if the funding requirements are met. This is from the £220 million Better Deal for Bus Users package to transform bus services. The Government’s ambition is to secure a long term, sustained improvement in bus services underpinned by a National Bus Strategy for England which will be accompanied by a long-term funding settlement. www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-better-deal-for-bus-users/a-better-deal-for-bus-users On 11 February 2020, the Prime Minister announced there will be £5 billion of new funding to overhaul bus and cycle links for every region outside London which may benefit bus services serving Blackpool and the wider North West.

M25: Noise

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with Highways England on noise pollution caused by the concrete road surface between junctions 10 and 11 of the M25.

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will ask Highways England to replace the poor quality road surface between junctions 10 and 11 of the M25.

Kelly Tolhurst: Highways England is aware that noise is an important issue for residents living next to the M25 motorway between junctions 10 and 11 and is actively looking for ways to improve the situation. Work to repair failed joints in the concrete carriageways was completed in November 2019 and this should help to reduce the noise level. There are currently no plans to resurface the carriageways on this section of the M25, but there is a trial to test materials and techniques which could help to reduce noise and improve the performance of concrete surfaces which is currently being carried out on the M1. The trial includes measurement of the noise reduction achieved and the rate of deterioration of the different treatments and is anticipated to continue until 2022. The results of this trial will help Highways England to decide how to manage concrete surfaces on its roads in the future, including this section of the M25.

Redhill-Tonbridge Railway Line: Closures

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what compensation is available to passengers who have season tickets on the Tonbridge-Redhill rail line after that line being shut as a result of the landslip at Godstone in December 2019.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The matter of compensation for season ticket holders in the event of disruption is the responsibility of the train operating companies, in this case Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR). Under its Passenger’s Charter, GTR operates both the Delay Repay and Enhanced Compensation schemes, and I would encourage season ticket holders and other passengers affected by the disruption on this route as a result of the landslip at Godstone to make the appropriate claims under these schemes.

Railways: Uckfield

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the correspondence between his Department and Govia Thameslink Railway on the procurement of diesel units for the Uckfield line.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Govia Thameslink Railway is in discussions with the Department to identify future requirements for the Uckfield line. However, these discussions are at a very early stage, and therefore we do not have any confirmed plans in place at this time. The Department will not be publishing details of these discussions as they are of a commercially sensitive nature. Further updates on this matter will be provided when it is appropriate to do so.

Public Transport: Leicestershire

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on improving public transport links in Leicestershire.

Kelly Tolhurst: Ministers and officials from DfT and HMT meet regularly to discuss a wide range of issues. The Government’s £220 million Better Deal for Bus Users package provides new funding to transform bus services and includes a National Bus Strategy, which will detail measures to improve bus services. £20 million of this is to support demand responsive services in rural and suburban areas. The package also includes an extra £30 million for local authorities in 2020/21. If Leicestershire County Council complete statements of intent demonstrating how they will meet the funding requirements, it will be provided with an additional allocation of £556,627. This would be in addition to the £534,721 Leicestershire County Council received in 2018/19 from the annual Bus Service Operators Grant More widely, the Government also announced £5billion of new funding on 11th February to overhaul bus and cycle links outside London. This investment will support measures to boost bus services including higher frequency services, new priority schemes to make routes more efficient, more affordable simpler fares and at least 4,000 new Zero Emission Buses. Leicestershire may be open to benefit from this. Furthermore, East Midland Railway’s (EMR) December 2020 timetable consultation, which has just closed, sought passenger and stakeholders view on changes to services. The changes focussed on EMR’s Midland Main Line services with proposals for Leicester which included more services, faster journey times and at consistent departure times throughout the day to and from London St Pancras International. EMR is now in the process of reviewing the feedback to help to form their December 2020 timetable. The majority of changes on EMRs Regional services which serve Leicester will happen in December 2021, and EMR plan to consult with passengers and stakeholders later this year on those changes.

M1

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents in which a vehicle was stranded in a live lane have taken place between junctions 32 and 35A of the M1 since March 2017.

Kelly Tolhurst: We want our roads to be as safe as possible. That is why the Secretary of State asked the Department to carry out an evidence stocktake to gather the facts about the safety of smart motorways and make recommendations. The Department will present the findings of the stocktake shortly. While I would not want to pre-judge the results of that work, what I can say is that we will continue to prioritise improving safety – making conditions safer for everyone on our roads.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the financial rationale is for the cost of MOT testing for class 4 vehicles.

Kelly Tolhurst: The current MOT fee in Great Britain for class 4 vehicles was set by The Motor Vehicles (Tests) (Amendment) Regulations 2010, and the rationale for the fee level is set out fully in the relevant published impact assessment. The fee has been set to reflect the time taken to carry out an MOT and the costs of a garage in delivering that MOT. MOT garages often charge less than the set fee.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many appeals of an MOT test result the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency received in each of the last three years.

Kelly Tolhurst: The table below shows the number of appeals in Great Britain of an MOT test result received by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in each of the last three years.  YearNumber of appeals of an MOT test result received201759520186052019609

A39: Bypasses

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to make an announcement on the proposed construction of an A39 Camelford bypass.

Kelly Tolhurst: The A39 Camelford bypass scheme proposal has been submitted for consideration under the Major Road Network and Large Local Majors programme. Officials are working with the Local Authority to support them as they develop the scheme. A decision regarding the scheme’s further development is due shortly.

Department for Transport: Third Sector

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the total amount of funding from the public purse given by his Department to (a) civil society and (b) campaigning bodies in each of the last five years.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department does not categorise its suppliers by this type of sector so we are unable to extract information relating to which suppliers may fall into the categories of either civil society or campaigning bodies.

Railways: Freight

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of coal freight journeys made through South Yorkshire; on which routes those freight journeys travelled; and how many of those journeys were made on the South Yorkshire Joint Railway line in each of the last ten years.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department does not have details of coal freight journeys in South Yorkshire but overall coal freight has declined from 2.05bn tonne km moved in 2013/14 Q1 to 0.12bn tonne km in 2019/20 Q1 as our actions to reduce carbon emissions take effect.

South Yorkshire Joint Railway Line

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s plans are for the future of the South Yorkshire Joint Railway line.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department has not made any plans for the future of the South Yorkshire Joint Railway Line. Freight traffic over the line has declined with the reduction in coal extraction and power generation and the Department looks to the Network Rail-led industry planning process for guidance on whether change is appropriate. Additionally, however, through the recently launched £500m Restoring Your Railway initiative, the Department for Transport has invited MPs, local authorities and community groups across England and Wales to propose how they could use funding to support ambitions to reinstate axed local passenger services and restore closed stations. I am delighted that my Honourable Friend has submitted an Expression of Interest.

South Yorkshire Joint Railway Line

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the quality of the (a) track and (b) related rail infrastructure on the South Yorkshire Joint Railway line.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department has not made such assessment. Network Rail operates at arm’s length from the Department for Transport, with independence on day-to-day operational decisions. This is important for efficiency and maintaining the company’s accountability and for Network Rail to deliver a safe and reliable railway infrastructure.

Railways: Repairs and Maintenance

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many rail improvement projects for expanding commuter services on single track sections of rail are (a) ongoing and (b) have been completed in the last 10 years.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Network Rail's Enhancement Delivery Plans sets out funded schemes which are in the process of delivery as part of the Governments £10.4bn enhancement commitment to 2024 and the Department's Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline lists the schemes which are being evaluated for funding. Train operators in the UK are currently operating around 20 million miles a year more passenger services than in 2010/11, a number of which such as the North Cotswolds, Swindon-Kemble and Falmouth Docks lines use single track sections.

South Yorkshire Joint Railway Line

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of reinstating passenger services on the South Yorkshire Joint Railway line.

Chris Heaton-Harris: No estimate has been made by my Department of the costs and benefits of reinstating passenger services on the South Yorkshire Joint Railway Line.

South Yorkshire Joint Railway Line

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allocating investment to enable the reopening of passenger services on the South Yorkshire Joint Railway line as part of the transport infrastructure investment programme for the Northern Powerhouse.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Through the recently launched £500m Restoring Your Railway initiative, the Department for Transport has invited MPs, local authorities and community groups across England and Wales to propose how they could use funding to support ambitions to reinstate axed local services and restore closed stations. I am happy to note that my Honourable Friend has submitted a case for funding.

Railways: Freight

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many freight only railway lines have been converted to enable passenger travel, and what the cost per mile of track was for those conversions.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Since 2000, freight routes which now carry passenger services include Corby, Chandlers Ford, Ebbw Vale, Vale of Glamorgan and Aylesbury Parkway. The Government does not hold the individual costs per mile of track as these are made up of many elements depending on the nature of the scheme.

Heathrow Airport: Construction

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an updated assessment of the economic effect of Heathrow expansion as a result of new proposals to phase the delivery of additional capacity.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 02 March 2020



The Court of Appeal ruled on 27 February that when designating the Airports National Policy Statement, which was backed by Parliament, the previous Government did not take account of the Paris Agreement, non-CO2 emissions and emissions post 2050. We have always been clear that Heathrow expansion is a private sector project which must meet strict criteria on air quality, noise and climate change, as well as being privately financed, affordable, and delivered in the best interest of consumers. The Government has taken the decision not to appeal this judgment. The promoters of the scheme will be able to seek permission from the Supreme Court to appeal if they wish. As part of its judgment, the Court has declared that the Airports National Policy Statement is of no legal effect unless and until the government carries out a review under the Planning Act 2008. The Court’s judgment is complex and requires careful consideration. We will set out our next steps in due course.

Railways: Exhaust Emissions

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2020 to Question 7619 on Railways: Carbon Emissions, what the (a) terms of reference are for the Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy and (b) what criteria Network Rail will use to identify projects for inclusion within that strategy.

Rachel Maclean: The remit of the Network Rail-led industry Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy (TDNS) is to provide decarbonisation options for the Department and other funders by examining the suitability of different traction options for each part of the rail network, and the cost and timing of their possible deployment. Analysis conducted for TDNS will inform Government decisions about the scale and pace of rail decarbonisation between now and 2050 as part of our Transport Decarbonisation Plan. Individual schemes will be developed through the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline to deliver an affordable and deliverable programme of decarbonisation.

North Wales Coast Railway Line: Electrification

Rob Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to electrify the entirety of the North Wales train line.

Chris Heaton-Harris: There are currently no plans to electrify the North Wales Coast Line. The Department has funded extensive development work, through a series of Strategic Outline Business Cases (SOBCs) announced at the Autumn 2017 Budget, to identify where further investment into the Welsh rail network could make a real difference to the people and economy of Wales. Based on the findings of the SOBCs, we are taking enhancement proposals, including journey time improvements along the North Wales Coast Main Line between Llandudno and Chester, through the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP), subject to a better understanding and assurance of likely costs. In addition, the Network Rail-led Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy is developing costed options about the use of electrification and new technologies. This work is a priority for the Department and for Network Rail. It will conclude this year to inform Government decisions about the scale and pace of further rail decarbonisation as part of our Transport Decarbonisation Plan.

Roads: Schools

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road traffic accidents have taken place outside schools in each year since 2005.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Department for Transport collects and publishes data on the location of road traffic accidents. However, we do not collect or define a variable which states whether these accidents occurred outside schools.

A52: Bridges

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Highways England on the effect on the local road network of the partial closure of the A52 Clifton Bridge in Nottingham.

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the immediacy of the steps required to tackle the effect of the partial closure of the A52 Clifton Bridge on Nottingham's road network.

Kelly Tolhurst: During a routine structural inspection of Clifton Bridge in 2018, Highways England identified a number of safety critical repairs were needed. During these planned works, further structural repairs were found to be necessary which led to the closure of the bridge. I understand how busy this stretch of the A52 is and Highways England did not take the decision to close the bridge lightly. The Department is working with Highways England to make sure everything possible is being done to resolve the situation and get traffic moving across the Clifton bridge as quickly and as safely as possible. One lane has already re-opened. Highways England is working closely with local authorities to ensure there are no restrictions on the diversion routes. Highways England invited all Local Resilience Forums (LRF), Nottingham City and County, to attend a briefing on the timings / stages necessary to safely restore the bridge capacity to normal. Highways England also meets weekly with local authorities and the emergency services to discuss mitigation measures, share progress, and plan works. Restrictions will be in place for some time until permanent repairs are completed. Highways England continue to liaise with local authorities to explore how the impact of the Clifton Bridge closure on the publics journey, can be further reduced.

A52: Bridges

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with (a) Nottingham City Council and (b) Nottinghamshire County Council on the effect of the partial closure of the A52 Clifton Bridge on the resilience of the local roads network.

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the allocation of funds to tackle traffic congestion on Nottingham's local road network arising from the partial closure of the A52 Clifton Bridge.

Kelly Tolhurst: Officials from the Department facilitated conversations between Highways England and the local Highway Authority, Nottingham City Council, so that the effects of the emergency closure of the A52 Clifton Bridge could be managed as carefully as possible. The Secretary of State has not discussed this matter with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Highways England continue to collaborate closely with the Local Highways Authority.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to provide financial support to companies that need to replace their fleets in order to comply with the requirements of low emission zones.

Rachel Maclean: Local authorities in England can bid for funding from the Government’s £286m Clean Air Fund (CAF) to provide support measures for individuals and businesses impacted by local air quality plans implemented as part of the 2017 UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations. These measures can include support for individuals and businesses to upgrade their vehicles to comply with the requirements of charging Clean Air Zones. £57.5m funding from the CAF has already been allocated including for vehicle upgrade schemes. Air quality is a devolved policy issue in the UK.

Cross Country Railway Line

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether additional seats will be be available on Cross Country rail services from (a) Newport, (b) Severn Tunnel Junction and (c) Caldicot.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Additional seats are due to be provided on the CrossCountry route linking Cardiff, Newport, Caldicot, Birmingham and Nottingham. A small number of CrossCountry services on this route also call at Severn Tunnel Junction

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Wind Power: Employment

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many jobs were created in the offshore wind industry in each year between 2016 and 2019; and what estimate his Department has made of the number of such jobs that will be created in each year from 2020 to 2030.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy (LCREE) Survey direct and indirect estimates of employment, UK, 2014 to 2018 can be found in the link below.https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/adhocs/11120lowcarbonandrenewableenergyeconomylcreesurveydirectandindirectestimatesofemploymentuk2014to2018  In the Offshore Wind Sector Deal published last year the Offshore Wind sector estimated that it could support 27,000 jobs across the UK by 2030, covering all aspects of a wind farm; project management, construction and operations and maintenance.

Productivity

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to to improve productivity in each region of the UK.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government is committed to levelling up all regions of the UK. We are working with local leaders and businesses on Local Industrial Strategies to boost productivity and living standards, whilst increasing investment in science, research, and development across the country. These long-term strategies are based on robust evidence, providing an in-depth understanding of local economies. Local Industrial Strategies explicitly focus on driving productivity by setting out the spatial impacts of national and local policy across our cities, towns, and rural areas.

Fireworks: Noise

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to impose a maximum noise level of 90 decibels on fireworks sold for private use.

Paul Scully: Existing legislation limits noise from fireworks available to consumers to a maximum of 120 decibels. Consumers can also choose to buy from a range of fireworks with lower noise levels.The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has been developing a fact-based evidence base on the key issues that have been raised around fireworks. This includes noise as well as anti-social behaviour, non-compliance, environmental impact, and the impact on humans and animals. This will build a full picture of the data around fireworks in order to identify whether, and what, further action is appropriate.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Third Sector

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the total amount of funding from the public purse given by his Department to (a) civil society and (b) campaigning bodies in each of the last five years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The majority of the Department’s funds have been allocated through our partner organisations to bodies which are classified as part of civil society, since that definition includes universities. Further details are set out in the Department’s accounts and those of our partner organisations. We do not specifically fund campaigning bodies.

Parental Bereavement Leave Regulations 2020

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that parents are aware of the provision in the Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Regulations laid on 23 January 2020.

Paul Scully: When we laid the Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Regulations in January, the policy received extensive coverage across broadcast, print and digital media. This announcement will have reached thousands of parents. Ahead of Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay coming into force, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will publish guidance on GOV.UK to help parents and their employers to understand the new entitlement. We have ensured that employers are aware of Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay by including regular articles in the HM Revenue and Customs Employer Bulletin and Agent Update publications about this. We are also working closely with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) to reflect the introduction of the new entitlement in their employer support guidance. We will also continue to work closely with bereavement support organisations such as Cruse Bereavement Care, Child Bereavement UK and SANDS to ensure that they are able to support bereaved parents to use the new entitlement.

Vaccination: Research

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of directing UKRI to fund research into platform vaccine and diagnostic tools to support the development of vaccines during a potential pandemic.

Amanda Solloway: We work with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for International Development, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to support research on platform vaccine technologies and diagnostic tools that can be utilised as a rapid response during a pandemic. These form a component of the current DHSC and UKRI COVID-19 rapid-response call for proposals to address the threat of this novel coronavirus. Platform vaccines and diagnostics are an integral part of UKRI’s current approach for the development and translation of research findings into tangible benefits, with research funded across UKRI councils DHSC and UKRI lead the UK Vaccine Network which brings together funders, industry and academia to identify and target investment opportunities for the most promising vaccines and vaccine technologies, including platform vaccine and diagnostic tools to combat infectious diseases with epidemic potential and to address structural issues related to the UK’s vaccine infrastructure. Through the Network two vaccine manufacturing hubs have been established to streamline vaccine manufacturing. A £10 million award to Professor Robin Shuttock at Imperial College London aims to revolutionise the vaccine manufacture, stabilisation and storage, reducing costs, increasing efficiency and improving prevention of existing and new diseases. A £7 million award to Professor Tarit Mukhopadhyay at University College London aims to establish the UK as a global centre for vaccine discovery, development and manufacture, while also ensuring that new vaccine manufacturing processes can be used in low and middle income countries.

Productivity: Finance

Neil O'Brien: What steps he is taking with UK Research and Innovation to increase funding allocated to projects in regions of lower productivity.

Amanda Solloway: We will publish an ambitious place strategy for R&D in the next few months. This will build on existing and emerging research and innovation capabilities across the country, enabling areas to ‘level up’ and reach their economic potential. This is an important part of our ambition to increase R&D investment across the economy.

Unfair Dismissal

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2020 to Question 19784, whether his Department has evidence of a causal link between increasing the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims to two years and employment and unemployment rates in the UK.

Paul Scully: There is a correlation between regulatory frameworks and how an economy performs but it is difficult to attribute a causal link to specific aspects of regulation within the UK’s labour market framework. The Government is committed to making the UK the best place in the world to work and grow a business. In the recent Queen’s Speech, we announced that we would bring forward an Employment Rights Bill to deliver the greatest reforms of workers’ rights in over 20 years.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans the Government has to review the existing surplus sharing arrangements of the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Government does not intend to change the current surplus sharing arrangements that have worked well for all parties. I have, however, agreed to the Trustees’ proposals for changes to the scheme that include protection of bonuses already accrued. BEIS officials are working with the Trustees to implement the changes.

Manufacturing Industries

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to protect the supply security of critical materials.

Nadhim Zahawi: In order to ensure UK industrial consumers have continued access to the critical materials they need, our approach is based on free, fair, and open trade internationally. We continue to monitor the situation closely as we engage with our industrial base on this important matter.

Import Controls: Scotland

Martyn Day: What support he is providing to help businesses in Scotland prepare for the introduction of import controls on EU goods from 2021.

Kwasi Kwarteng: We are working with the Scottish Government to ensure businesses can take full advantage of the new opportunities presented in January 2021. We have provided over £130 million to the Scottish Government in EU exit allocations, and through HMRC’s customs grant scheme, £34 million has been made available to UK businesses to support trader readiness.

Billing

Michael Fabricant: What steps his Department is taking to encourage prompt payment for goods and services by larger companies; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: We are completely focussed on fulfilling our manifesto commitment to clamp down on irresponsible payment practices, supporting small businesses who are impacted the most. We will shortly consult on the merits of strengthening the Small Business Commissioner’s powers, which could support compliance by larger businesses and further improve payment culture.

Retail Trade: Opening Hours

Harriett Baldwin: What plans he has to enable high street shops to set their opening hours.

Paul Scully: Most shops are not constrained in their choices of opening hours. In England and Wales large shops may only open for six consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm on a Sunday. They may not open on Easter Sunday or Christmas Day. We have no plans to change these rules.

Business: Scotland

John Nicolson: What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increasing fiscal support to businesses in Scotland.

Nadhim Zahawi: We regularly engage with colleagues across Whitehall including the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how we can support businesses across the UK. £1.4 billion in city region and growth deals has been invested by UK Government in Scotland, including £150 million for the Tay Cities Deal in the hon Member's constituency. Since November 2014, the British Business Bank has supported over 6,500 SMEs in Scotland to a value of £1.3 billion, and its Start-up Loans Programme has issued over 4,200 loans worth over £32 million.

Maternity Leave: Childbirth

Laura Trott: What plans he has to introduce extended maternity leave for mothers of premature babies.

Paul Scully: The Government is committed to supporting working parents. We recognise the particular challenges faced by parents of over 100,000 babies admitted into neonatal care each year, many of whom are born prematurely. Our Manifesto committed to give parents of babies in neonatal care a new entitlement to paid leave from work. Following our consultation on this last year, we are analysing the responses as a priority and will set out our plans soon.

Space Technology: Innovation

Jamie Stone: What progress he is making on the national space strategy; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a national space innovation fund.

Amanda Solloway: We have united departments across government to develop a UK Space Strategy, which will help the UK lead the way in this fast-growing sector and create thousands of jobs across the country. Our Space Strategy will support cutting-edge space science and technologies and foster world-leading British innovation.

Carbon Emissions

Afzal Khan: What recent assessment he has made of trends in the rate of reduction in UK emissions.

Kwasi Kwarteng: In the UK we have shown it is possible to achieve economic growth while reducing emissions. Since 1990, we have cut our emissions by 43%, while growing our economy by more than three quarters - decarbonising faster than any other G20 country. Between 2017 and 2018 alone, we reduced emissions in the power sector by 6.6%.

Nuclear Power: Public Opinion

Richard Thomson: What recent assessment he has made of public attitudes towards nuclear energy.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy tests public attitudes towards nuclear energy, and a wide range of other BEIS issues, through our Public Attitude Tracker.Questions on nuclear energy were asked in Wave 29, in March 2019.This demonstrated that 35% of the public supported nuclear energy, 23% opposed nuclear energy and 38% neither supported nor opposed nuclear energy.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israeli Settlements: UN Resolutions

James Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the Israeli Government (a) implements and (b) adheres to UN Security Council Resolution 2334.

James Cleverly: We have long supported balanced UN resolutions, including UN Security Council Resolution 2334 that addressed incitement and settlements. We do not hesitate to raise instances of incitement. We have a regular dialogue with the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority in which we reiterate the need for both sides to prepare their populations for peaceful coexistence, including by promoting a more positive portrayal of each other. As I made clear in my statement on 24 February, the UK's position on Israeli settlements is clear: they are illegal under international law and damaging to renewed efforts to launch peace negotiations. I last raised settlements with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 26 February. We urge Israel to halt its settlement expansion immediately.

Rendition and Torture

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received a request from (a) the Lord Advocate's office and (b) Police Scotland for assistance in their investigation on the use of Scottish airports to facilitate torture and rendition.

James Cleverly: As this is an ongoing Police Scotland investigation it would not be appropriate to comment further.

Rendition and Torture

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to assist Police Scotland (a) in its investigation into the use of Scottish airports to facilitate torture and rendition and (b) to request evidence from the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence inquiry into the Central Intelligence Agency's detention and interrogation programme.

James Cleverly: As this is an ongoing Police Scotland investigation it would not be appropriate to comment.

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what effect the end of the transition period will have on the ability of British passport-holders who live abroad, and whose European Union and Great Britain passports remain valid until 2028, to travel freely across the EU.

Wendy Morton: The Schengen Borders Code places requirements on the validity required for non-EU citizen passport-holders. This means that from 1 January 2021, passports should be no older than ten years and with a minimum validity of three months beyond a UK national's planned stay in the Schengen area. Further information on British passport requirements from January 2021 for travel to the EU is available on gov.uk.The EU has already legislated such that UK nationals will not need a visa when travelling to the Schengen area for short stays of up to 90 days in every 180-day period from 1 January 2021. UK nationals travelling to the EU for longer than 90 days may need a visa or permit to do so. Member State rules vary and UK nationals should check entry requirements with the Embassy of the relevant Member State. Further information for UK nationals currently in the EU is available on gov.uk.

Kenya: Civil Servants

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions officials of his Department have had with (a) representatives of the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and (b) the Head of the Pensions Department in the Kenyan National Treasury on the non-payment of pensions to former Kenyan civil servants.

James Duddridge: This matter is the responsibility of the Kenyan authorities. However, the British High Commission in Nairobi has written to the Kenyan Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and the Head of the Department for Pensions in the Kenyan National Treasury seeking an explanation for non-payment of pensions to former Kenyan civil servants and the lack of increase in line with inflation. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office is now helping the Kenyan National Treasury to contact Crown Agents Bank (the bank chosen to make the pension payments) in the UK to expedite the reinstatement of the pensions.

Hamas

Mrs Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of recent reports of Hamas-led rocket attacks on Israel.

James Cleverly: We are concerned by the recent escalation in Gaza, including indiscriminate rocket fire which places civilians at risk. We call upon Hamas and other terrorist groups to permanently end their attacks against Israel. Indiscriminate attacks against civilians are unacceptable and unjustifiable. The perpetual cycle of violence does not serve anyone's interests, and must end. We urge all parties to adhere to the recent ceasefire arrangement.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) support the introduction of an observed ceasefire and (b) increase aid to displaced adults and children in the Idlib enclave, Syria.

James Cleverly: We are deeply concerned about the situation in Idlib, North West Syria, as a result of the ongoing offensive by the Syrian regime and Russia. We are calling on all parties to adhere to previously agreed ceasefires and abide by their obligations under International Humanitarian Law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, particularly UN Security Council resolution 2254, which calls for a nationwide ceasefire as part of a political process to end the conflict. We have repeatedly raised the issue at the UN Security Council, and called an emergency session on Idlib on 6 February.In financial year 2019/20, the Department for International Development allocated £118 million to projects implemented by organisations delivering aid cross-border primarily into North West Syria, including Idlib. This support has helped to provide hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people with food, clean water, shelter and healthcare, including mental health support. UK aid is helping to support protection of civilians in Idlib, including an early warning system to alert civilians of airstrikes and support to emergency search and rescue teams.

Somalia: Press Freedom

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Government in Somalia on media freedom.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to support journalists in Somalia from attacks and intimidation.

James Duddridge: The British Government is working with the Government of Somalia and Somali media, civil society organisations and international partners to support media freedom and protect journalists in Somalia from attacks and intimidation. In November 2019 the British Embassy in Mogadishu released a statement expressing solidarity with detained journalists in Somalia, reinforcing that journalists must be able to investigate and report without undue interference. This year in January the British Embassy in Mogadishu hosted the first ever Somali Journalism Award ceremony to celebrate talented Somali journalists. Somali Ministers attended this event as well as the Global Conference on Media Freedom in London in July 2019.

Interserve: Industrial Disputes

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the operational effect is on his Department of the industrial dispute with Interserve staff.

Nigel Adams: Interserve are fulfilling their contractual obligation to provide facilities management services during an industrial dispute, mitigating any potential effects on service delivery.

Bahrain: Capital Punishment

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on (a) Mohammed Ramadhan, (b) Hussain Moosa and (c) other prisoners sentenced to death in that country.

James Cleverly: We continue to monitor the cases of Mohammed Ramadhan and Hussain Moosa as their case is taken to the Court of Cassation for final review. We have raised both cases at senior levels with the Government of Bahrain, and will continue to do so where we have concerns. As the former Minister for the Middle East and North Africa publicly stated, we are deeply concerned that the death penalty has been issued to Mohammed Ramadhan and Hussain Moosa. The Government of Bahrain is fully aware that the UK is firmly opposed to the death penalty, in all circumstances.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Homicide

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on who was responsible for the massacres of ethnic Banunu in Yumbi territory in Democratic Republic of Congo on 16 and 17 December 2018.

James Duddridge: The UK remains deeply concerned by the severe violence in Yumbi territory in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in December 2018. A special Inquiry by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) estimated that as many as 890 people were killed and 19,000 displaced. The DRC authorities have arrested around 70 individuals to date as part of an ongoing investigation.The UK supports UNJHRO in monitoring and reporting on incidents such as this. We also support the protection of civilians through contributions to the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, humanitarian funding and DFID conflict programming focussed on stabilisation and peacebuilding.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Homicide

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have made to the Government of Democratic Republic of Congo on the massacres of ethnic Banunu in Yumbi territory on 16 and 17 December 2018.

James Duddridge: The UK remains deeply concerned by the severe violence in Yumbi territory in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in December 2018. At the time our Embassy in DRC raised our concerns about the violence with government authorities in the region and with local UN representatives. The UK also joined UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, in calling for the perpetrators of the attacks to be brought to justice.More broadly, the UK supports the UN Joint Human Rights Office in monitoring and reporting on incidents such as this. We also support the protection of civilians through contributions to the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, humanitarian funding and DFID conflict programming focussed on stabilisation and peacebuilding.

United Nations: Peacekeeping Operations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his UN counterparts on reports of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeeping forces around the world.

Nigel Adams: Tackling Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) in UN peacekeeping is vital as the practise of SEA undermines the UN's fundamental principles including its ability to deliver on its peacekeeping mandates, weakening attempts to resolve conflict and damaging the UN's reputation as a builder of peace.The UK fully supports the UN Secretary-General's (UNSG) zero tolerance approach to SEA. In September 2019 the Prime Minister reinforced the UK's commitment by joining the UNSG's Circle of Leadership on the prevention of, and response to, SEA in UN operations. The Circle of Leadership is made up of global leaders who actively support this agenda. The former Prime Minister was also a member.The UK is a signatory of the UN's Voluntary Compact on SEA; a global commitment of UN Member States to eliminate SEA. We continue to support the UNSG Victims' Rights Advocate who works to ensure the rights of victims and their needs are at the forefront of the UN's fight against SEA. This includes contributing £200,000 in 2019/20 and supporting the launch of a Victims' Rights Statement in 2020 to further these values.Over the past 3 financial years (2016/17 - 2018/19), the UK has provided £2.3million to the UN, funding staff posts to deliver more effective system wide coordination. We have also developed mandatory pre-deployment training, including by the British Peace Support Team, training over 3,000 people across 26 African countries on SEA.

United Nations: Peacekeeping Operations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his UN counterparts on (a) increasing the proportion of female personnel employed in UN peacekeeping forces and (b) the integration of those personnel with their male colleagues; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of female personnel on the number of cases of sexual exploitation and abuse by those forces.

Nigel Adams: The UK is committed to ensuring women have full, effective and meaningful participation in peacekeeping. We support this commitment as penholders of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda at the UN Security Council, advocating key language on women's meaningful participation and incorporating gender perspectives in all UN peacekeeping mandates. Among other benefits, increasing the numbers of women in troop contingents leads to increased engagement with populations, higher reporting on sexual and gender-based violence from the local community, and can serve to lower incidences of sexual exploitation and abuse committed in mission.This financial year we championed uniformed women's participation in peacekeeping by providing £1m funding to the Elsie Initiative. The initiative assists Troop and Police Contributing Countries in deploying trained and qualified women police and military peacekeepers and supports them in conducting barrier assessments to women joining peacekeeping operations. Last year in collaboration across government, the then Defence Secretary announced a number of measures. This included ensuring enough UK women are deployed to UNFICYP (Cyprus) to enable mixed gendered patrols and reaffirming our commitment to women making up at least 15% of UK personnel on UN peacekeeping missions by 2028.

China: Uighurs

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the human rights implications of the ongoing imprisonment of  Uighur Muslims in China.

Nigel Adams: We will continue to ensure that our human rights concerns are directly raised with Chinese authorities. We also regularly raise our serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang at the UN.We are aware of credible reports of widespread cultural, religious, and economic discrimination against Uyghurs in Xinjiang. During China's last Universal Periodic Review, we called on China to halt the practice of detaining individuals who have not been lawfully charged, tried, and convicted for a criminal offence in extra-legal detention facilities and immediately release individuals detained under such circumstances. We also raised concerns about arbitrary detention in our 'Item 4' statement at the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in September 2019.Most recently, the UK Ambassador to China raised our concerns with Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang on 24 December 2019. Further, On 29 October 2019 at UN Third Committee, UK read out a joint statement signed by 22 others drawing attention to the human rights violations and abuses in Xinjiang and calling on China to uphold its obligations to respect human rights. On 17 September 2019, at the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, we reiterated calls for UN experts to be granted unfettered access to Xinjiang and raised our concerns on arbitrary detention

China: Uighurs

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on ensuring that Uighur Muslims are allowed access to the same public facilities as non-Muslim Chinese people.

Nigel Adams: We will continue to ensure that our human rights concerns are directly raised with Chinese authorities. We also regularly raise our serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang at the UN.We are aware of credible reports of widespread cultural, religious, and economic discrimination against Uyghurs in Xinjiang. During China's last Universal Periodic Review, we called on China to halt the practice of detaining individuals who have not been lawfully charged, tried, and convicted for a criminal offence in extra-legal detention facilities and immediately release individuals detained under such circumstances. We also raised concerns about arbitrary detention in our 'Item 4' statement at the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in September 2019.Most recently, the UK Ambassador to China raised our concerns with Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang on 24 December 2019. Further, On 29 October 2019 at UN Third Committee, UK read out a joint statement signed by 22 others drawing attention to the human rights violations and abuses in Xinjiang and calling on China to uphold its obligations to respect human rights. On 17 September 2019, at the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, we reiterated calls for UN experts to be granted unfettered access to Xinjiang and raised our concerns on arbitrary detention.

China: Uighurs

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress he has made in his discussions with his Chinese counterpart on allowing Uighur Muslims aged under-18 the right to attend a mosque.

Nigel Adams: We will continue to ensure that our human rights concerns are directly raised with Chinese authorities. We also regularly raise our serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang at the UN.We are aware of credible reports of widespread cultural, religious, and economic discrimination against Uyghurs in Xinjiang. During China's last Universal Periodic Review, we called on China to halt the practice of detaining individuals who have not been lawfully charged, tried, and convicted for a criminal offence in extra-legal detention facilities and immediately release individuals detained under such circumstances. We also raised concerns about arbitrary detention in our 'Item 4' statement at the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in September 2019.Most recently, the UK Ambassador to China raised our concerns with Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang on 24 December 2019. Further, On 29 October 2019 at UN Third Committee, UK read out a joint statement signed by 22 others drawing attention to the human rights violations and abuses in Xinjiang and calling on China to uphold its obligations to respect human rights. On 17 September 2019, at the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, we reiterated calls for UN experts to be granted unfettered access to Xinjiang and raised our concerns on arbitrary detention.

China: Uighurs

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on the release of Uighur Muslims from training centres after they have been identified as non-threats by authorities.

Nigel Adams: We will continue to ensure that our human rights concerns are directly raised with Chinese authorities. We also regularly raise our serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang at the UN.We are aware of credible reports of widespread cultural, religious, and economic discrimination against Uyghurs in Xinjiang. During China's last Universal Periodic Review, we called on China to halt the practice of detaining individuals who have not been lawfully charged, tried, and convicted for a criminal offence in extra-legal detention facilities and immediately release individuals detained under such circumstances. We also raised concerns about arbitrary detention in our 'Item 4' statement at the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in September 2019.Most recently, the UK Ambassador to China raised our concerns with Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang on 24 December 2019. Further, On 29 October 2019 at UN Third Committee, UK read out a joint statement signed by 22 others drawing attention to the human rights violations and abuses in Xinjiang and calling on China to uphold its obligations to respect human rights. On 17 September 2019, at the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, we reiterated calls for UN experts to be granted unfettered access to Xinjiang and raised our concerns on arbitrary detention.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 19 July 2019 to Question 275727 on Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia, what reports he received from (a) 26 January to 9 July 2018, (b) 9 July 2018 to 24 July 2019 and (c) 24 July 2019 to date on the letter from the Panel of Experts on Yemen mandated by Security Council resolution 2342 (2017) to the President of the UN Security Council dated 26 January 2018.

James Cleverly: The UK operates a rigorous and comprehensive export control regime. We will not issue any export licences when there is a clear risk of a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law. We consider a wide range of sources when assessing arms licenses against the Consolidated Criteria, including classified and open source information, and reporting we receive from Non-Governmental Organisations. This includes reports by the UN Panel of Experts, which issues an Annual Report and a Mid-Term Report. The UK receives these as a member of the Security Council and they have been included in our export licensing decision making process.

USA: Foreign Relations

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to strengthen the UK's relationship with the US Administration.

Wendy Morton: The UK has a special and enduring relationship with the US based on our long history and commitment to shared values and that will continue to be the case. Our close bilateral partnership means we do more together than any other two countries. The recent appointment of the new UK Ambassador to the US will help to identify new opportunities and further strengthen the special relationship between our two countries.

Northern Cyprus: Aviation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it remains Government policy to refuse authorisation for direct commercial flights between the UK and North Cyprus.

Wendy Morton: The UK Court of Appeal has confirmed that direct flights from the UK to Ercan airport in the northern part of Cyprus would breach obligations under international law.

Turkey: Cyprus

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Government of Turkey on stopping the allegedly illegal drilling for oil and gas inside the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus.

Wendy Morton: The UK has repeatedly expressed our opposition to Turkish drilling in the waters around Cyprus, in both public and private. We continue to urge de-escalation.We have consistently stated our support for the sovereign right of the Republic of Cyprus to exploit the oil and gas in its internationally agreed Exclusive Economic Zone. We also continue to attach the utmost importance to securing a long-term settlement to the division of Cyprus and believe the most enduring way of resolving difficult issues such as this is to achieve a Cyprus settlement. We encourage all parties to redouble their efforts in pursuit of this.We believe it is critical for stability in the Mediterranean and for the integrity of the rules-based international system that disputes such as this are resolved, not through force, militarisation or coercion, but through dialogue and in accordance with international law. We will continue to work with the Republic of Cyprus and the wider region to that end.

Gaza: Israel

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the security situation in that country after the rocket attacks on southern Israel from Gaza on 23 February 2020.

James Cleverly: I discussed the recent escalation in Gaza with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 26 February. Indiscriminate attacks against civilians are unacceptable and unjustifiable. The perpetual cycle of violence does not serve anyone's interests, and must end. The UK fully supports Israel's right to self-defence and to defend its citizens from such acts of terror. In doing so, it is vital that all actions are proportionate, in line with International Humanitarian Law, and are calibrated to avoid civilian casualties. We call upon Hamas and other terrorist groups to permanently end their incitement and rocket fire against Israel and urge all parties to adhere to the ceasefire arrangement.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) stability of the peace process in Sudan and (b) security of UK nationals in that country following the recent violence in Khartoum.

James Duddridge: A sustainable peace agreement is an important part of Sudan's transition to democracy and the UK commends the priority placed by Prime Minister Hamdok on peace talks. The civilian-led government does however face challenges to deliver popular demands for change following the 2019 revolution. This includes delivering economic reforms and ensuring citizens are able to adapt to the changing economic situation. While levels of violence related to protests have significantly reduced since the establishment of the civilian-led government in September 2019, we are concerned by recent violence against protests, including the use of teargas on 20-21 February in Khartoum. We welcome the formation of an investigative committee into this incident. The safety and security of UK nationals is a priority for HMG, and UK travel advice is kept under review: we continue to advise UK nationals travelling to Sudan that further violence is possible, to avoid protests, and to check advice on GOV.UK before travelling.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the US Administration on a potential a new nuclear deal with Iran.

James Cleverly: We remain in close contact with the US at a number of levels. The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump on 20 February and the Foreign Secretary met with Secretary Pompeo in London at end January, covering a range of bilateral issues.The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action remains the best means available to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. We remain committed to the deal, as our E3 leaders reaffirmed unequivocally on 12 January and in our E3 FM statement on 14 January.

Libya: Armed Conflict

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take diplomatic steps to support (a) the Libyan Government of National Accord and (b) a political solution to the ongoing conflict in that country.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on support for the UN-backed Government of National Accord in Libya; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the progress being made on political negotiations in Libya; and if he will make a statement.

James Cleverly: Holding answer received on 27 February 2020



The UK is clear that the Government of National Accord is the UN-endorsed government in Libya. We are also active in our support for the United Nations' central role in facilitating a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned inclusive political process. The Prime Minister represented the UK at the Berlin Conference on Libya on 19 January, alongside other international leaders, and urged those present to respect the UN Arms Embargo, support a ceasefire and a return to the UN-led political process. The conclusions of the Berlin Conference were endorsed by UK-led UN Security Council resolution 2510 (2020), which demands full compliance with the UN arms embargo, calls for an end to foreign military interference in Libya and makes clear that individuals or entities who breach the arms embargo or the ceasefire may be sanctioned with travel bans and asset freezes. In Munich on 16 February, I attended the first meeting of the International Follow Up Committee to the Berlin Conference. Alongside this, the UK welcomes and supports the UN's efforts to promote dialogue between Libyans on the political, security and economic tracks and encourages all parties to engage constructively with UNSRSG Salamé.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Third Sector

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the total amount of funding from the public purse given by his Department to (a) civil society and (b) campaigning bodies in each of the last five years.

Nigel Adams: This information is not held centrally and to compile it would incur disproportionate cost

Syria: Politics and Government

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK Government supports the removal through democratic means of Bashar Al-Assad in Syria.

James Cleverly: Holding answer received on 02 March 2020



The UK's position on the Assad regime is unchanged: it has lost its legitimacy due to its atrocities against the Syrian people. Only an inclusive, non-sectarian government can unite the country and protect the rights of all Syrians. Our priority is to end the conflict in Syria through a negotiated political settlement on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 2254. We continue to strongly support the UN-led Constitutional Committee, and all efforts to create a safe, neutral environment that enables Syria to hold free and fair elections through which Syrians can choose their own government.

Gaza

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of recent reports of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.

James Cleverly: We are concerned by the recent escalation in Gaza, including indiscriminate rocket fire which places civilians at risk. Indiscriminate attacks against civilians are unacceptable and unjustifiable. The perpetual cycle of violence does not serve anyone's interests, and must end. Israel has a legitimate right to self-defence, and the right to defend their citizens from attack. In doing so, it is vital that all actions are proportionate, in line with International Humanitarian Law, and are calibrated to avoid civilian casualties. We call upon Hamas and other terrorist groups to permanently end their incitement and rocket fire against Israel. We urge all parties to adhere to the ceasefire arrangement.

Libya and Syria: Armed Conflict

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what lessons his Department has learned from UK (a) diplomatic and (b) military involvement in the removal of Colonel Gaddafi from power in Libya in 2011; what assessment his Department has made of the compliance of that involvement with the Resolution of the House of 21 March 2011 on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 establishing a no-fly zone to protect Benghazi; and if he will make it his policy not to endorse no-fly zones to facilitate UK military intervention in Syria in support of Islamist fighting groups.

James Cleverly: Holding answer received on 02 March 2020



The UK participated in the international military action in Libya in 2011 in order to protect Libyans against Colonel Qadhafi's regime, which was intent on violently suppressing their uprising. The Qadhafi regime subsequently fell, and since then we have been working to support a political transition in Libya. The UK supports UN-led efforts as the best way of securing an end to the conflict and delivering the stability and security that all Libyans deserve. In Syria, the UK does not believe that a no-fly zone is currently a feasible option.

Hamed bin Haydara

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received any reports on recent court appearances by Hamed bin Haydara in Yemen.

James Cleverly: We are monitoring the case of Hamed bin Haydara, and we understand the appeal against his death sentence is ongoing. We strongly condemn the death sentence and the continued persecution of the Baha'i in Yemen for their religious beliefs. We meet often with the Baha'i representatives in London who keep us updated on the situation. We call on the parties to the conflict to respect the human rights of all Yemenis.

Armed Conflict: Children

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress he has made through the United Nations Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict in tackling the use of child soldiers in conflict zones.

Nigel Adams: Holding answer received on 02 March 2020



The UK is an active permanent member of the United Nations Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), which leads the international response to violations committed against children in conflict. These violations include: the recruitment and use of children, sexual violence against children, killing and maiming of children, abduction, attacks on schools and hospitals and the denial of humanitarian access to children in conflict. The Working Group focuses on responding to the UN Secretary-General's annual report on CAAC which lists governments and armed groups for committing grave violations against children. As a member of the group, the UK applies diplomatic pressure to listed parties to enter into concrete UN action plans to verify and release any children associated with armed groups and forces, to prevent re-recruitment and ensure the provision of appropriate reintegration and rehabilitation assistance. In recent years, we have negotiated strong calls to action for parties to conflict in Syria, Myanmar, South Sudan, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Colombia.

Diplomatic Service: Overseas Trade

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote trade links through the diplomatic network.

Nigel Adams: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) diplomatic network is at the forefront of championing free trade as part of the Global Britain agenda. Our Heads of Mission are leading their teams in growing trade relationships and opening markets to UK trade and investment across the world. FCO staff are using their knowledge and expertise of overseas markets to support the trade priorities of Departments across Whitehall, including Department for International Trade work to negotiate new agreements that can benefit the whole of the UK. The diplomatic network is also working with the other countries to drive economic reform which creates better business environments, including through the programmes of the Prosperity Fund. The FCO is enhancing the trade capability of its staff and many staff across Whitehall through specialist training delivered through the Diplomatic Academy's Trade Policy Faculty.

Philippines: Diplomatic Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the President of the Philippines in the last three months.

Nigel Adams: The Foreign Secretary has not held discussions with President Rodrigo Duterte in the last three months. Senior UK officials met with Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, Enrique Manalo, during high level talks in London in November 2019.The UK/Philippine bilateral relationship is strong and wide-ranging, including high level discussions on defence, economic development, climate change, human rights and consular issues.

Egypt: Diplomatic Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps he has taken to help support the Egyptian economy.

James Cleverly: Egypt has immense potential, and the UK wants to see Egypt succeed as a secure, prosperous and democratic state. The UK is providing over £50 million between 2016 and 2020 through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund, to support Egypt's continued stability and prosperity through a range of sectors. Through the UK's partnership with the World Bank we are supporting improved economic governance and transparency, improved government financial management, and modernisation of the energy and business sector. British businesses are already amongst the most important investors in Egypt, supporting jobs and growth in Egypt and the UK. We are committed to helping businesses go even further. President Sisi gave the keynote speech at the 20 January UK-Africa Investment Summit. The event helped create new, lasting partnerships that will deliver more investment, jobs and growth in both countries. One of the largest deals signed at the Summit was an MoU between Actis and the Sovereign Fund of Egypt. The agreement will pave the way for over £3 billion of new investment to Egypt in due course, leveraging Actis' technical expertise.

Philippines: Human Rights

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations officials in his Department have made to the Philippine Government on human rights in that country.

Nigel Adams: The UK remains concerned about reports of human rights abuses in the Philippines. Senior UK officials raised our concerns with Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Enrique Manalo, during High Level Talks in London in November 2019. Embassy officials regularly discuss human rights, including media freedoms, with the Philippine Government in Manila.

Papua: Human Rights

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Indonesian counterpart on the arrests and trials of the group of West Papuan human rights defenders known as the Papuan Six.

Nigel Adams: Holding answer received on 02 March 2020



We are aware of the arrest, and subsequent charging, of six people after they took part in a demonstration in Jakarta on 28 August 2019. We have not raised this specific case with the Indonesian authorities, but we regularly press the Indonesian authorities to address legitimate human rights concerns, including upholding the right of peaceful protest. The UK fully respects the territorial integrity of Indonesia, including Papua. The former Minister for Asia and the Pacific (Mrs Wheeler), raised Papua with the Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mahendra Siregar, during her visit to Jakarta in January 2020.

BBC World Service

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the effect of the BBC World Service on UK diplomacy; and if he will make a statement.

Nigel Adams: The BBC World Service supports the UK's role as a force for good, supporting press freedom by encouraging media plurality, and offering tailored language services with local broadcasters which helps to counter misinformation by providing impartial, editorially independent news. The Service helps the BBC's international mission to address the global gap in trusted international news, including where free speech is limited.

BBC World Service

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effect of the BBC World Service on tackling levels of state propaganda throughout the world.

Nigel Adams: Responsibility for Her Majesty's Government's relationship with the BBC World Service lies with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.The BBC World Service supports the UK's role as a force for good, supporting press freedom by encouraging media plurality, and offering tailored language services with local broadcasters which helps to counter misinformation by providing impartial, editorially independent news. The Service helps the BBC's international mission to address the global gap in trusted international news, including where free speech is limited.

Libya and Sahel: Politics and Government

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the security situation in (a) the Sahel region and (b) Libya on the UK's national security.

James Cleverly: The UK is deeply concerned at the continuing instability in the Sahel and Libya. The UK is clear that UK interests will be supported by lasting peace and stability in the Sahel and Libya. I represented the UK at the first meeting of the International Follow Up Committee for Libya, briefing fellow participants on recent UN Security Council Resolution 2510. The resolution demands full compliance with the UN arms embargo and an end to foreign military interference in Libya. The UK has also continued to urge both the Libyan parties and the key international players to engage fully with the UN-led political process. As part of the UK's new strategic approach to Africa we are increasing our support to the Sahel, bringing together our development, diplomacy and defence expertise to help tackle the underlying causes of poverty and conflict in the region.

Saudi Arabia: Boxing

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many members of (a) Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service and (b) the armed forces attended the Clash on the Dunes boxing event in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia on 7 December 2019; and who paid for the (a) tickets and (b) hospitality of those personnel at that event.

James Cleverly: Holding answer received on 02 March 2020



A number of staff from the British Embassy and the armed forces attended the boxing match on 7 December 2019. No public money was spent. The Ambassador and a small number of others were hosted at the event by Saudi Arabia. A small number of tickets were also provided by Saudi Arabia's General Sports Authority and Anthony Joshua's team. Other staff purchased tickets privately.

Hosni Mubarak

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether any UK Government officials will attend the funeral of former president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak.

James Cleverly: Holding answer received on 02 March 2020



The UK was represented at the funeral by our Deputy Ambassador.

Libya: Armed Conflict

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential for UK military hardware to be supplied by the United Arab Emirates to forces operating in Libya.

James Cleverly: Holding answer received on 02 March 2020



HMG takes its arms export responsibilities seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. We can and do respond quickly and flexibly to changing or fluid international situations. We are able to review licences and suspend or revoke as necessary when circumstances require.

Syria: Overseas Aid

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2020 to Question 606,  whether Official Development Assistance allocated to Syria has included financial transfers via Syrian Government institutions and affiliated agencies.

James Cleverly: Holding answer received on 02 March 2020



The UK has committed over £3.1 billion Official Development Assistance (ODA) in response to the Syria Crisis, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. No British Government funding is provided through financial transfers via Syrian Government institutions and affiliated agencies. UK ODA funding is spent through carefully vetted partners and is closely monitored to ensure that our assistance reaches those most in need and to provide that assurance to the British taxpayer.

Sri Lanka: War Crimes

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the accuracy of allegations that war crimes were committed during the Sri Lankan civil war by (a) Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva and (b) other high-level members of the Sri Lankan Government.

Nigel Adams: The UK has long supported Sri Lanka's accountability commitments made to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) through resolutions 30/1, 34/1 and 40/1 as the best way to establish truth regarding alleged crimes committed by all sides during the Sri Lankan civil war, as well as to achieve accountability and reconciliation.In August 2019, the British High Commission in Colombo issued a joint statement alongside other European partners to express concern about the appointment of Lieutenant-General Shavendra Silva as Commander of the Sri Lankan Army due to the allegations of grave human rights and humanitarian law violations against him.We continue to underline the importance of accountability, justice and reconciliation in our engagement with the Government of Sri Lanka, including through the statement of the Core Group on Sri Lanka at the UNHRC in Geneva on 27 February. The Minister for South Asia Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon underlined the importance of these issues when he met the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena, in Geneva on 25 February.

Sri Lanka: War Crimes

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to make representations to his Sri Lankan counterpart on seeking justice for the victims of extrajudicial killings that are alleged to have taken place during the Sri Lankan civil war.

Nigel Adams: The British Government regularly engages with the Government of Sri Lanka on the importance of truth, accountability and justice for all of the victims of the Sri Lankan civil war. The Minister for South Asia, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, underlined the importance of these issues when he met the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena, in Geneva on 25 February. The UK continues to call on the Government of Sri Lanka to fulfil the commitments it has made to the UN Human Rights Council through resolutions 30/1, 34/1 and 40/1, most recently through the statement of the Core Group on Sri Lanka at the UNHCR in Geneva on 27 February.

Sri Lanka: War Crimes

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he made of the potential merits of imposing (a) sanctions and (b) travel restrictions on high-level Sri Lankan Government officials accused of war crimes.

Nigel Adams: We have announced our intention to establish a UK autonomous Global Human Rights ('Magnitsky-style') sanctions regime. The regulations will come into force once secondary legislation is laid in Parliament in the coming months. It would be inappropriate to comment on potential designations before the regulations come into force.

Iran: Detainees

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on the physical wellbeing of (a) Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe and (b) other UK dual nationals detained in Iranian jails since the outbreak of covid-19 in detention centres in that country.

James Cleverly: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Isabel dos Santos

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish the (a) dates, (b) venues and (c) agenda of each meeting with Ms Isabel Dos Santos held by a Government Minister since 2015.

James Duddridge: There have been no meetings between Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and Isabel Dos Santos since 2015. Information on meetings with other Government Ministers is not held by this department.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Third Sector

Robert Halfon: To ask the Attorney General, how much funding his Department has allocated to (a) civil society and (b) campaigning bodies in each of the last three years.

Michael Ellis: The Attorney General’s Office has not allocated any funding to civil society orcampaigning bodies in the last three years.

Department of Health and Social Care

Society of Homeopaths

Mrs Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the decision by the Professional Standards Authority to renew the Society of Homeopaths’ accreditation.

Helen Whately: The Department does not maintain a position on any complementary or alternative medicine treatments. It is the responsibility of local National Health Service organisations to make decisions on the commissioning and funding of any healthcare treatments for NHS patients, taking into account issues around safety and clinical and cost-effectiveness. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence does not currently recommend that homeopathy should be used in the treatment of any health condition. The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) is an independent organisation who has responsibility for the accredited registers scheme. The PSA is clear that accreditation is not an endorsement of a particular treatment or therapy or its efficacy but ensures that practitioners are part of a body that works to good practice and is committed to protecting the public.

Maternity Services: Expenditure

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which NHS trusts have been allocated funding from the Maternity Incentive Scheme; and what the value was of (a) insurance contributions, (b) the share of unallocated funds and (c) all other funding allocated to each trust in 2018-2019.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The maternity incentive scheme is operated by NHS Resolution through the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) to support National Health Service trusts in improving the quality of maternity services.Under the scheme, maternity providers pay an increased CNST contribution annually. This fund is redistributed to trusts according to whether they have achieved all 10 safety actions specified under the scheme. Trusts who achieve all 10 safety actions have their increased contribution returned to them. Trusts who do not achieve all 10 safety actions can bid for a sum to help them achieve the actions they have missed. Funds remaining from scheme members who did not achieve all of the safety actions are distributed to successful organisations in proportion to their original contribution.The attached table shows, for each trust in the scheme, for 2018-19, the value of trust contributions to the maternity incentive scheme, the payments made to trusts from the scheme and trusts’ share of unallocated funds. This data is available online at the following link:https://resolution.nhs.uk/resources/this-factsheet-provides-information-about-trust-and-health-authority-claims-handled-by-nhs-resolution-in-2018-19/  



clinical negligence scheme for trusts table
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Doctors and Nurses: Lancashire

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of full-time equivalent (a) general practitioners, (b) other doctors and (c) nurses employed by the NHS in Lancashire in (a) 2010 and (b) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Helen Whately: NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), but not staff working in primary care or in general practitioner (GP) surgeries, local authorities or other providers.The following table shows the full time equivalent (FTE) number of doctors, and nurses and health visitors employed in the Lancashire area as at November 2019, the latest available data, compared to November 2010. November 2010November 2019Change% ChangeDoctors1,4791,88140227Nurses and health visitors4,4395,7941,35631 The Lancashire area is defined as those working at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, NHS East Lancashire CCG or NHS West Lancashire CCG. The following table shows the number of GPs and nurses employed in the area covered by NHS East Lancashire CCG as at September 2019 compared to September 2015, FTE.--All regular GPs (excludes locums)All nursesNHS East Lancashire CCGSeptember 2019193132September 2015198117 The following table shows the number of GPs and nurses employed in the area covered NHS West Lancashire CCG as at September 2019 compared to September 2015, FTE. --All regular GPs (excludes locums)All nursesNHS West Lancashire CCGSeptember 20195830September 20155726

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the (a) early diagnosis and (b) prevention of bowel disease.

Helen Whately: To support clinicians in the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, which are collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published best the practice guidance Crohn’s disease: management in May 2019, and Ulcerative colitis: management, published in May 2019. Although there is no cure for IBD or specific intervention to prevent it, treatment can relieve symptoms and improvement quality of life. Both sets of NICE guidance can be found at the following links:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng129https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng130

NHS: Staff

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what time period will be covered by the forthcoming NHS People Plan.

Helen Whately: The final NHS People Plan will be published in early 2020 and will set out how the National Health Service will grow and sustain its workforce over the next five years – from 2020/21 to 2024/25. The NHS People Plan will be refreshed on an annual basis to take account of changing patient needs, new models of care and improvements in recruitment, retention, skill mix and ways of working.

Hospitals: Discharges

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many delayed discharges of care there were from healthcare providers in England in each year since 2009-10.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many delayed discharges of care there were from mental health providers in England in each year since 2009-10.

Helen Whately: Data is held from 2011-12 onwards. The data requested is shown in the attached table.The data attached is collected via a monthly situation report and is published at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/delayed-transfers-of-care/



pq19808 809 table
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NHS Property Services

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many properties are owned by NHS property services.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the current value is of the property estate owned by NHS Property Services.

Edward Argar: 2,885 properties are owned by NHS Property Services as of 25 February 2020.The value of the property estate owned by NHS Property Services is £3.902 billion as of March 2019. This figure accounts for land, buildings and assets under construction.

NHS Property Services

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the properties owned by NHS Property Services are fully used for clinical purposes.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many properties owned by NHS Property Services are partially used for clinical purposes.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many properties owned by NHS Property Services are not used for clinical purposes.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many properties owned by NHS Property Services are empty.

Edward Argar: 2,210 of the 2,885 properties owned by NHS Property Services are currently classified by them as used for clinical purposes, as of 25 February 2020.Information is not held centrally on the proportion of space within these tenancies for delivering clinical services (i.e. as opposed to for example office and storage space). These are largely decisions for the tenants themselves.675 of the properties owned by NHS Property Services as of 25 February 2020 are not used for clinical purposes, including offices, land, parking, residential (non-clinical) and warehouse/storage facilities.416 of the 2,885 properties owned by NHS Property Services as of 25 February 2020 are vacant (defined as over 90% vacant).

Doctors and Nurses: Termination of Employment

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses have left the NHS in each of the last five years.

Helen Whately: The information is not held in the format requested.

Hospitals: Television

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to reduce the costs to patients of hospital television services.

Edward Argar: National Health Service providers are locally responsible for the provision of bedside television and similar services. The Department is not party to the contracts which exist between the service providers and the individual NHS trusts. If patients do not wish to or are unable to afford the cost of the bedside television, they should still be able to watch the free to view television in the hospital day room or communal areas.

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust: Training

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that Kent & Medway NHS Trust staff have (a) autism awareness and (b) suicide awareness training; and what steps he is taking to ensure the provision of that training for health and social care professionals.

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance is provided to mental health assessment staff on (a) autism and (b) suicide; and whether that guidance refers to tips on suicide forums on how to pass mental health assessments.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Following the death of Callie Lewis in 2018, Kent and Medway NHS Trust have initiated a series of actions. The Trust has updated its suicide prevention training for staff, including refreshing its suicide prevention strategy to specifically reference autism. This training is now a mandatory annual requirement for all Trust staff within inpatient, liaison psychiatry and crisis settings. The Trust has updated its training to include the risks of suicide forums.In January 2019, we published the first Cross-Government Suicide Prevention Workplan, which sets out an ambitious programme across national and local government and the National Health Service.

Mental Health Act 1983 Independent Review

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish a White Paper in response to the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nadine Dorries: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark on 22 January 2020 to Question 3763.

London Ambulance Service Patients' Forum

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the London Ambulance Service on their level of engagement with the Patient's Forum.

Edward Argar: The Department has recently been made aware by London Ambulance Service Trust that a significant number of the Patients’ Forum Ambulance Services (London) executive committee had resigned following serious concerns about the Forum’s governance processes.The Trust also has some concerns about the Patients’ Forum’s ability to work in partnership.The Trust has written to the Patients’ Forum to express its concerns and awaits assurance that there is a robust governance process in place.The Trust’s approach to the Patients’ Forum Ambulance Services (London) is supported by its commissioners, NHS North West London Clinical Commissioning Groups on behalf of all London clinical commissioning groups. The London Ambulance Service remains committed to working with patient representative groups and the wider public, to further improve the care it delivers for Londoners.

Abortion: Down's Syndrome

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that abortions carried out after a diagnosis of Down's Syndrome are recorded.

Helen Whately: It is a legal requirement set by the Abortion Act 1967 that all abortions performed in England must be notified to the Chief Medical Officer. Doctors use the HSA4 abortion notification form for this purpose and must record the reason, including where the termination was due to a diagnosis of Down's Syndrome.

Abortion: Clinics

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of abortion clinics are rated as (a) inadequate or (b) requires improvement by the Care Quality Commission for safety standards.

Helen Whately: The Care Quality Commission registers services based on the regulated activities that they carry out.The number of active locations with the regulated activity of ‘Termination of Pregnancies’  rated Inadequate for safety is 9 (3.75%). The number rated as Requires Improvement for safety is 121 (59.3%).Locations registered to carry on this regulated activity may not provide this activity exclusively.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on efforts to prevent the spread of covid-19 of statutory sick pay provisions that may deter people that have to work from (a) self-isolating and (b) reporting symptoms.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the accuracy of hospital waiting times listed on the NHS England website.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that the NHS England website provides guidance to patients on current waiting times.

Edward Argar: Official statistics for elective waiting times, known as Referral to Treatment (RTT), are fully compliant with the Statistical Code of Practice (that is, they meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and value) and are designated as National Statistics by the Office for Statistics Regulation.The Department receives assurance from NHS England on the accuracy of hospital waiting times. NHS England currently collects and publishes the monthly national waiting times data, carrying out aggregate-level validation checks. Where issues are identified at provider-level, NHS England will work with providers to ensure data errors are rectified. The Standard Contract put in place by NHS England obliges providers to comply with national information standards and data submission requirements. All trust annual governance statements from April 2015 must include an explicit statement on how the trust will assure waiting time data quality, accuracy and risks.NHS England update RTT recording and reporting guidance when changes are required. The last update was August 2017 and an update is planned by NHS England for the start of 2020/21. New data on waiting times is published every month at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2019-20/There is also general guidance available on waiting times on the NHS England web page at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/hospitals/guide-to-nhs-waiting-times-in-england/

Life Expectancy

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of (a) low paid and (b) insecure work on life expectancy.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Life Expectancy

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of levels of child poverty on life expectancy.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Veterans

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of support given to mental health services for veterans by NHS England since the announcement of the reduction in funding provided to Combat Stress; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to support mental health services for veterans since reductions in NHS funding for Combat Stress.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Since 2017 there has been significant improvements to the services provided to veterans in England suffering from both severe and more routine mental health issues.NHS England and NHS Improvement have set up two dedicated veterans mental health services, the Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service and the Complex Treatment Services.These services benefit from over £10 million investment per year and have collectively received over 10,000 referrals up to November 2019.This is in addition to mainstream Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services, which receive over 20,000 referrals per year from veterans.To help veterans nearing crisis the National Health Service are developing a Veterans’ Mental Health High Intensity Service. Service model testing will begin in June with the aim for full roll out of the service in April 2022.

Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership: Pay

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the salary band is of the new independent chair of the Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership: Pay

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the salary band is of the chief executive of the Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership: Pay

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the salary is of the new interim joint accountable officer for the Mid and South Essex clinical commissioning groups.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership: Pay

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the salary band is of the convenor for the Mid and South Essex clinical commissioning groups.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

World Obesity Day

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if it is his Department's policy to support the aims of World Obesity Day 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Services: Vacancies

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to tackle the 122,000 job vacancies in the social care sector identified by Skills for Care in October 2019.

Helen Whately: The Government recognises that adult social care employers can struggle to recruit and retain the right number of staff, with the right values and skills, and that vacancy and turnover rates across the sector are high. We are working alongside stakeholders in adult social care to support a growing workforce, with the values and skills to deliver high quality, compassionate care.The Department has invested £7 million over the past two years in a national recruitment campaign designed to raise the profile of adult social care, encourage potential applicants to apply for job vacancies, and highlight opportunities for career development and progression. Through our continued funding of Skills for Care we have also provided a range of resources and practical toolkits for providers to help attract, train and retain staff.

Coronavirus: Northern Ireland

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to allocate additional support to the Northern Ireland Executive in the event of an outbreak of covid-19 outbreak in Northern Ireland.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Development

CDC: Fuel Oil

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many energy projects involving the burning of heavy fuel oil has CDC Group invested in since 2011; and (a) how much and (b) on what dates that funding was allocated to each of those projects.

James Duddridge: Since 2011, CDC has invested in four energy projects designed to run on heavy fuel oil in four countries in Africa: Kenya, Cameroon, Mali and Guinea-Conakry. The funding was committed in 2015, 2017 and 2018. The total invested into the four projects is $77.3 million which represents less than 1.5% of CDC’s total investment portfolio.CDC invests in energy projects to support access to energy for 600 million Africans without power and to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 in a socially just manner. Over the past two years, CDC has committed over $500 million to renewable energy projects, almost 25% of CDC’s total investment commitments made over this period. Whenever CDC invests in fossil fuels, it does so with the aim to increase efficiency, reduce emissions and as part of a low carbon transition plan.

Department for International Development: Departmental Responsibilities

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government has consulted with charities on (a) the potential merits of merging her Department with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and (b) the potential effect of merging those Departments on aid policy.

Wendy Morton: The Prime Minister has appointed a fully joint junior ministerial team for DFID and the FCO. This builds on the good work DFID is already delivering with the FCO: in 32 bilateral posts, 16 multilateral missions and through the eight FCO-DFID Joint Units in London. The Prime Minister also appointed separate Secretaries of State for the Foreign Office and DFID in the recent reshuffle and is keen to make sure UK aid is both spent well and aligned with the UK’s foreign policy priorities.The Government Manifesto maintains spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA and pledges to end the preventable deaths of mothers, new-born babies and children by 2030 and lead the way in eradicating Ebola and malaria. We will continue to need the support of our partner charities to deliver on these commitments.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he is taking to ensure that Official Development Assistance is not used for development that causes climate change.

James Duddridge: The Government published the Green Finance Strategy in July 2019, which included our commitment to align all UK Official Development Assistance with the Paris Agreement. This reflected our commitment to put climate change at the heart of our development programmes. Our commitment to doubling our international climate finance to £11.6 billion over the years 21/22 to 25/26 means that we will be investing more UK aid in low carbon development such as clean energy, and assisting poorer countries to anticipate and manage the unavoidable impacts of climate change.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: Finance

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will increase the level of Official Development Assistance allocated to Gavi, the Vaccines Alliance.

Wendy Morton: Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance’s work is critical to the delivery of the UK’s objective to end preventable deaths, having helped save 13 million lives since its inception in 2000. The UK remains deeply committed to supporting this vital work, including through the provision of significant funding to Gavi and hosting the Gavi replenishment at the Global Vaccine Summit 2020 in June.

Developing Countries: Nutrition

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much Official Development Assistance her Department has allocated to Nutrition for Growth.

Wendy Morton: The UK has been a global leader on nutrition since hosting the first ever Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in 2013. We are making progress against our 2013 N4G commitments as follows:DFID has already exceeded its commitment to invest £2.13 billion from 2013 to 2020 in nutrition sensitive programmes – to date we have spent £2.7 billion on this type of programme;We have also unlocked the full amount of nutrition matched funding committed in 2013 – this has leveraged £560 million more for nutrition from other donors; andWe are working to ensure we reach the target to invest £575 million on direct nutrition services by the end of this year.DFID officials are working closely with the Government of Japan to prepare for the 2020 Nutrition for Growth Summit. This will be an important opportunity to secure new commitments to nutrition, to set the world on a better track to achieve the Global Goals and to help achieve our ambition of ending preventable deaths by 2030. We are considering what commitment the UK Government will make at the Summit.

Developing Countries: Energy

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to introduce targets for investment in low carbon energy sources throughout the world.

James Duddridge: The UK is committed to unlocking affordable and clean energy for the poorest and contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7. UK Official Development Assistance increasingly supports renewable energy sources – between 2011-12 and 2018-19 UK aid has provided 26 million people with improved access to clean energy and avoided 16 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.The doubling of the UK’s International Climate Finance (ICF) contribution to £11.6 billion from 2021/22 to 2025/26 will ensure that the UK can do even more to support the most vulnerable people and countries and help accelerate the development and adoption of low carbon technologies.The ICF increase includes up to £1 billion for the Ayrton Fund to go towards the development and testing of new technology in areas such as energy storage, new cooling technologies, next generation solar, and technologies for industrial decarbonisation.

Developing Countries: Older People

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to include older people and ageing populations within the work of her Department.

Wendy Morton: My Department recognises that older people experience a range of complex barriers and face multiple exclusions in developing countries across the globe.Ageing is an important part of DFID's efforts to ensure inclusion and our approach to leaving no one behind. For example, DFID’s Disability Inclusion Strategy and Strategic Vision for Gender Equality take a life-course approach, ensuring the delivery of transformative change for people all ages.We are also supporting governments to make vital social protection systems more inclusive of older people. In Uganda, DFID continues to build on its partnership with the Government of Uganda to deliver a Senior Citizen Grant. The grant currently supports over 168,000 older people to help meet their nutritional and healthcare needs.

Developing Countries: HIV Infection

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding his Department allocated to programmes to tackle HIV/AIDS in 2018-19.

Wendy Morton: In 2018, DFID spent £174.6 million multilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) to tackle HIV/AIDS. Most DFID investments to the HIV response are now directed through multilateral organisations such as Unitaid, UNAIDS and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. In addition, in 2018, DFID spent £10 million bilateral ODA on programmes tackling sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS.The UK has made a £1.4 billion pledge to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria for the 6th replenishment covering 2020 to 2022. This supports the commitment to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.This data does not capture spend on related programming on comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights, including research and health systems strengthening.DFID spend data is available on the Statistics on International Development website. Comparable figures beyond December 2018 are not yet available. Estimates for 2019 spending will be available in autumn 2020.

Department for Education

Food Technology: National Curriculum

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that schools meet the practical cookery requirements in the national curriculum.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to increase the proportion of children being taught to cook at key stage 3; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: All schools are required to teach a balanced and broad curriculum that helps provide young people with knowledge, skills and understanding to prepare them to play a full and active part in society.Cooking and nutrition is a discrete strand of the design and technology programme of study within the National Curriculum which was introduced in 2014. It is compulsory in state-maintained schools for Key Stages 1-3 (ages 5 to 14), and can be used as an exemplar for free schools and academies. The curriculum aims to teach children how to cook and how to apply the principles of healthy eating and good nutrition. It recognises that cooking is an important life skill that will help children to feed themselves and others healthy and affordable food. By the end of Key Stage 3, pupils should be able to cook a repertoire of predominantly savoury dishes and be competent in a range of cooking techniques.A new food preparation and nutrition GCSE was also introduced in September 2016. It requires pupils to understand and apply the principles of food science, nutrition and healthy eating when preparing and cooking food. The first exams in this new qualification were taken in summer 2018.

Schools: Food

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to make the standards for school food mandatory in all state-funded schools.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to amend regulations to make the application of school food standards mandatory in all state-funded schools.

Vicky Ford: The School Food Standards, as set out in ‘The Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014’, provide the legislative framework to ensure schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that children get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day. Compliance with the School Food Standards is mandatory for all maintained schools. We also expect all academies and free schools to comply with the standards, and since 2014 we have made this an explicit requirement in their funding agreements. The government made a commitment to update the standards in the Childhood Obesity Action Plan, and in 2019 we commissioned Public Health England to provide expert nutritional advice and develop proposed updates to the standards, incorporating feedback from an advisory group consisting of suppliers, schools, charities, nutritionists and other stakeholder organisations.

Children: Social Services

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect on the wellbeing of vulnerable children of the UK's departure from the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education made extensive preparations for leaving the EU based on government planning assumptions to ensure continued support for vulnerable children. We are working with the Home Office and local authorities to ensure that vulnerable children in the care system secure a status under the EU Settlement Scheme and have their rights protected in future.

Schools: Food

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress his Department has made on achieving the ambition in the Child Obesity Plan to update the Schools Food Standards to reduce children's sugar consumption.

Vicky Ford: The department is working with Public Health England (PHE) to update the School Food Standards in relation to sugar and fibre. On 7 May and 6 November 2019, we brought together an advisory group comprising of key stakeholders in the food, nutrition and health sectors who hold a wide breadth of knowledge and expertise in relation to school food to discuss the proposed updates to the standards. PHE has launched an invitation to tender for organisations interested in testing the detail of the proposed updates to ensure these are practical and can be easily implemented by schools and caterers. Further information will be announced as this develops.

Young People: Carers

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to (a) collate and (b) publish information on the (a) school attendance, (b) school achievement and (c) wellbeing of young carers.

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that young carers are (a) identified and (b) adequately supported to ensure attainment at school.

Vicky Ford: The government is committed to supporting young carers so that they are properly protected from excessive or inappropriate caring responsibilities and supported to achieve their full potential. Consistent identification remains challenging, with many being ‘hidden’ and therefore unrecognised and/or unsupported.Changes through the Children and Families Act 2014 simplified the legislation relating to young adult carers’ assessments, making rights and duties clearer to both young people and practitioners. This included promoting whole family approaches which triggers children and adults’ support services into action – assessing why a child is caring, what needs to change and what would help the family to prevent children or young people from taking on this responsibility in the first place.Schools also monitor attendance and if a child’s absence reaches a level of concern, the school will wish to raise this in the best interest of the child’s education. Schools have a duty to inform the local authority of any child who fails to attend school regularly. Schools and local authorities should consider the individual circumstances of each case and take the appropriate course of action to ensure the child receives consistent education. The Department for Education provides schools with £2.4 billion each year in additional funding through the pupil premium to support disadvantaged pupils. We expect schools to make effective use of their pupil premium budgets; schools know their pupils best and will spend the grant according to meet pupil needs, which includes where needs are based on a parent’s health issues or disability. We published the Children in Need Review conclusion in 2019. This sets out our approach to helping schools and children’s social care improve the educational outcomes of children in need, including those young carers assessed as being in need of help and protection.

Apprentices: Qualifications

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many colleges in England provide the Level 2 Cities and Guilds Apprenticeship qualification for Trees and Timber; and what guidance his Department has issued to Further Education providers on promoting that qualification in the past two years.

Gillian Keegan: 28 separate apprenticeship providers in England had learners who participated on the City and Guilds Apprenticeship framework for Trees and Timber between the academic years 2014/15 to 2018/19, of which 23 were colleges.[1][2] One of these providers - Guildford College of Further and Higher Education – is located in Kent.Guidance has not been issued to Further Education providers on promoting this qualification, as the department does not actively promote qualifications from particular awarding organisations, or specific apprenticeship standards and frameworks, but make a range of qualifications available for providers to deliver within policy and funding rules, and in response to student, employer and local and skills needs.Our apprenticeship reforms are supporting employers in all sectors to make a long-term, sustainable investment in the skills that they need to grow. New apprenticeship standards at all levels are being designed and driven by industry to meet their current and emerging skills needs.[1] The data source is the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) and is published at the following links:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/848363/Apprenticeship_Participation_1415_1819_final_v0.2.xlsx.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/848508/Underlying_data_Apps_participation.zip.[2] Data will include all funded learners reported on the ILR.

Pupils: Mental Health Services

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on ensuring that pupils in (a) Rutland and Melton constituency and (b) England are able to receive support from Mental Health Support Teams.

Vicky Ford: Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) are a new service and one of the major commitments made jointly by the Department for Education with the Department for Health and Social Care and the National Health Service (NHS) partners to implement proposals set out in the Green Paper ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision’, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision-a-green-paper.Funded through the NHS, MHSTs are designed to help meet the mental health needs of children and young people in primary, secondary and further education (primarily for ages 5 to 18).My right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care both continue to monitor closely the progress made in this area.MHSTs will be established in 20% to 25% of the country by 2023, delivering interventions to help children and young people with mild to moderate mental health issues, supporting development of whole-school or college approaches to mental health, and helping children and young people to get the right support and stay in education.The first 2018-19 trailblazer sites in England, delivering 59 MHSTs, are all expected to be fully operational in early 2020 following completion of their training. A further 123 MHSTs will be delivered through the 2019-20 recruitment wave. Each MHST will work with schools and colleges supporting an estimated 8,000 children and young people.There are currently no recorded MHSTs in Rutland and Melton constituency, however, recruitment of 2020-21 MHST sites was launched on 10 January 2020 and is open until 16 March 2020. NHS England have invited expressions of interest to establish new MHSTs from all Clinical Commissioning Group(s) in England.

Special Educational Needs

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to issue guidance to special educational needs co-ordinators on (a) the services they are expected to provide from the mainstream budget, (b) when an Education, Health and Care Plan is required and (c) other aspects of the Children and Families Act 2014.

Vicky Ford: We recognise the important role that Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs) play in schools in supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).We do not currently have plans to issue specific guidance to SENCOs as the role and responsibilities of SENCOs are set out in the SEND Code of Practice, which is the statutory guidance that schools must have due regard to.In addition, we have provided funding to the Whole School SEND Consortium (WSS) to develop resources specifically to support SENCOs. This includes a SENCO Induction Pack to help new SENCOs in their role, which can be accessed at: www.sendgateway.org.uk/whole-school-send/sencos-area. The induction pack includes further information on the statutory framework; Education, Health and Care Plans; and managing SEND provision.The WSS is also developing an ‘Effective SENCO Deployment Guide’ to help school leaders consider how they can best support the SENCO in their school. Furthermore, we are reviewing the learning outcomes for the National Award in SEN Co-ordination to ensure it best prepares SENCOs for their role.

Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking in response to findings from National Apprenticeships week.

Gillian Keegan: Our 13th annual National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) took place from 3 to 7 February. The theme of this year’s NAW was ‘Look Beyond’.Focussing on diversity, as well as quality, this year’s NAW aimed to support the widening participation agenda. It aimed to support this agenda by highlighting the diversity and value that apprenticeships bring to employers, apprentices and communities across England. Nearly 900 events were held across the country.We are currently analysing the detail of the evaluation and further information will be available after the Easter recess.

Schools: Harlow

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase funding for schools in Harlow.

Nick Gibb: ​The Department is increasing school funding by £14 billion over the next three years, starting with £2.6 billion in 2020-21 and followed by increases of £4.8 billion and £7.1 billion in 2021-22 and 2022-23 respectively, compared to 2019-20.Overall, school funding is increasing by 5% in 2020-21 alone – a significant increase, and we will continue to distribute that funding through the National Funding Formula (NFF), which ensures that funding is based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics. This will ensure that per-pupil funding for every school can rise at least in line with inflation next year; and faster than inflation for most.Under the NFF schools in Harlow will attract an additional £4.6 million in total cash funding next year, a 7% increase compared to last year, taking their total cash funding up to £70.1 million. This reflects a 5.4% increase in per pupil funding when compared to last year.

Special Educational Needs

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the provision in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice for local authorities to use their own criteria to decide when it is necessary to carry out an Education, Health and Care needs assessment.

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities do not dictate to medical professionals what to write in Education, Health and Care Plans.

Vicky Ford: The Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice states that local authorities may develop criteria as guidelines to help them decide when it is necessary to carry out an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment. However, as set out in the Code, local authorities must also be prepared to depart from those criteria where there is a compelling reason to do so in any particular case and demonstrate their willingness to do so where individual circumstances warrant such a departure. Local authorities must not apply a ‘blanket’ policy to particular groups of children or certain types of need, as this would prevent the consideration of a child’s or young person’s needs individually and on their merits as is required under the Children and Families Act 2014.The Code of Practice also requires that the health care provision specified in section G of the EHC plan must be agreed by the relevant Clinical Commissioning Group (or, where relevant, NHS England) and any health care provision should be agreed in time to be included in the draft EHC plan sent to the child’s parent or to the young person for whom the plan has been created. As part of the joint commissioning arrangements, partners must have clear disagreement resolution procedures where there is disagreement on the services to be included in an EHC plan.Ultimately, it is for local authorities to ensure that EHC plans are produced in a timely manner and that they include all relevant information to ensure the needs of the child or young person who is subject to the plan are clearly defined, that appropriate support is identified, and that appropriate outcomes are included.However, we recognise that there are concerns with the SEND system. We announced the SEND Review in September 2019 to ensure the system is working best for all families, and that support in different areas is consistent, available and joined up across health, care and education services.

Department for Education: Third Sector

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the total amount of funding from the public purse given by his Department to (a) civil society and (b) campaigning bodies in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The Department funds organisations across sectors to deliver its priorities. This ranges from large construction companies which build schools to small charities such as the Anna Freud Centre who are delivering looked-after children's mental health assessment pilots. We do not currently differentiate between charities, campaigning bodies or other non-profit organisations.The Department does regularly publish a comprehensive supplier spend report here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfe-and-executive-agency-spend-over-25000-2019-to-2020.The Government also publishes a list of grant expenditure above £25,000 as part of routine Government Transparency. Reports dating from 2013 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-grants-register.DfE’s default commercial policy is that requirements provided by third party organisations are subject to competition. This includes contracts and general grants. Where the requirement will lead to a contract, the procurement must be compliant with the Public Contract Regulations 2015.

Pupil Exclusions: Greater London

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children that were excluded in each London borough were (a) male and (b) BAME.

Nick Gibb: The National Statistics release ‘Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England 2017 to 2018’ includes information on the number and rate of permanent and fixed period exclusions.The release is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2017-to-2018.

Home Education: Blackpool

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children are registered in Blackpool local authority as being home schooled.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not held by the department. We do not currently collect data on the number of home-educated children.In the spring of 2019, a consultation was held on proposals for a mandatory register of children not attending state or registered independent schools to help local authorities carry out their responsibilities in relation to children not in school. Almost 5000 responses were received to the consultation which closed in June 2019. They have now been considered and a formal government response document setting out next steps will be issued in due course.

Sixth Form Education: Finance

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for sixth form students.

Gillian Keegan: I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Woking, to the answer that my hon. Friend, the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families gave on 28 January 2020 to Question 5550.

Teachers: Pay

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will extend eligibility for the Teachers’ Pay Grant to sixth form colleges.

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will extend eligibility for Early Career Payments to teachers in sixth form colleges.

Gillian Keegan: Sixth form colleges have a different legal status and relationship to government when compared with schools. They are independent of government and the department plays no role in setting teacher pay and conditions. Therefore, sixth form colleges are not eligible for the teachers' pay grant or the early-career payments for school teachers. We continue to work closely with the further education sector to consider how best to support its needs.We have announced a 16-19 funding increase of £400 million for 2020-21. This includes a 4.7% increase in the 16-19 base rate of funding and £20 million of new funding for the further education workforce.

Digital Technology: Adult Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2020 to Question 9674 on Digital Technology, how much funding his Department has allocated to provide adults with (a) no and (b) low digital skills to undertake new digital qualifications free of charge.

Gillian Keegan: From August 2020, we are introducing an entitlement to essential digital skills so adults with no or low digital skills will have the opportunity to undertake new digital qualifications free of charge. The new digital skills entitlement will refocus funding from out of date qualifications to new qualifications based on new national standards. This will be funded through the £1.34 billion Adult Education Budget (AEB) which fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. The Education, Skills and Funding Agency is responsible for allocating the AEB in non-devolved areas. Colleges and training providers in non-devolved areas continue to have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their AEB and therefore how much they decide to spend on digital skills. They do this by working with stakeholders including Local Enterprise Partnerships and their Skills Advisory Panels to determine what the appropriate distribution of funding should be to best meet local needs. In areas where the AEB is devolved, the specified Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Mayor of London are responsible for making provision for the funding of the digital entitlement as part of their devolution deal, alongside the existing English and maths, level 2 and level 3 statutory entitlements.

Roma Holocaust Memorial Day: Education

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to improve teaching of the Roma Holocaust in schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department is fully committed to Holocaust education. Every young person should learn about the Holocaust and the lessons it teaches us today. The curriculum gives teachers and schools the freedom to decide how to teach the subject and what resources to use to support an understanding of the history of the Holocaust and the experiences of the non-Jewish victims of Nazi persecution.The Department further supports pupils’ and teachers’ understanding of the Holocaust by providing funding for the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz project (£2,126,437 in 2019-20 and £2,193,675 in 2020-21) and to the UCL Institute of Education’s Centre for Holocaust Education (£500,000 in both 2019-20 and 2020-21, match funded by the Pears foundation). Additionally, £1.7 million for the 2019-20 financial year is being provided for the Bergen-Belsen Commemoration Programme to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.A wide array of resources are available to help teachers teach about the persecution by the Nazis of different groups of people, including Roma victims.

Ministry of Justice

Legal Representation: Death

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February to Question 19769, whether the Legal Aid Means Test Review will examine whether the finances of non-married people sharing a property with an applicant of legal aid will remain relevant to means-tested application for inquests into state-related deaths.

Alex Chalk: The Legal Aid Means Test Review was announced on 7 February 2019, as part of the Legal Support Action Plan. The review is already underway and is considering the full range of means-testing criteria including the applicable thresholds for legal aid entitlement and their interaction with wider criteria such as the treatment of partner and other household resources. This includes the evidence gathered as part of the Government’s Review of Legal Aid for Inquests published on 7 February 2019. This comprehensive review is due to conclude in late summer 2020, followed by a public consultation on potential policy changes.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Third Sector

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate she has made of the total amount of funding from the public purse given by her Department to (a) civil society and (b) campaigning bodies in each of the last five years.

Conor Burns: The Department for International Trade (DIT) came to existence in July 2016. DIT secures UK and global prosperity by promoting and financing international trade and investment, and championing free trade. The Department does not specifically record this type of funding in its accounting records, and a search of other records has not identified any funding of civil society or campaign groups in this time period.

Coronavirus: Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the effect of covid-19 on (a) Chinese and (b) other overseas demand for UK exports.

Graham Stuart: It is too early to estimate the scale of the impact, which will depend on how severe and prolonged the COVID-19 outbreak becomes. We remain closely engaged with businesses to monitor developments.

Coronavirus: Business

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what support her Department is providing to UK businesses affected by coronavirus.

Graham Stuart: Department for International Trade teams around the globe are supporting British companies facing disruption due to COVID-19. The Department’s officials in China and other affected areas are working with affected or concerned UK businesses to provide support, including engaging with local government and suppliers, and working with business associations to disseminate the latest information on freight services, UK consular and visa services, and accessing UK Export Finance facilities.

Corruption

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many companies offered direct support for overseas investment or commercial trade deals by (a) UK Export Finance and (b) other parts of her Department have been subject to corruption or bribery investigations in each year since 2016.

Graham Stuart: UK Export Finance (UKEF) is not an investigatory body. As such, it is only aware of such investigations as have been made public by law enforcement agencies. The Department for International Trade (DIT) does not hold such data for the 10,000 business interactions it conducts each month across 108 countries. Both DIT and UKEF have clear policies in place enabling all staff to report any suspicions or suspicious behaviour immediately to the relevant authorities.

Coronavirus: Business

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the effect of covid-19 on the viability of UK business supply chains.

Graham Stuart: The department are actively engaging with business and working with other government departments to understand the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, including its effects on trade. There is a risk of ongoing disruption to international supply chains, particularly in sectors such as automotive, technology, pharmaceuticals, clothing and apparel, tourism and aviation.

Trade Promotion: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on the future role of that Government’s trade offices.

Conor Burns: The Department for International Trade (DIT) engages extensively with the Devolved Administrations on all trade policy issues and the formulation of trade negotiation positions. I have regular contact with my Welsh Government counterpart, and in January I hosted the inaugural meeting of the Ministerial Forum for Trade, which will play an important role in ensuring that the voices of all the nations of the UK are considered as negotiations progress. DIT also runs a substantial programme of official level engagement, including our Senior Officials Group and regular policy engagement, to ensure DA views are inputted at all levels and all stages of the process.

Trade Promotion: Libya

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when she plans to appoint a trade envoy to Libya.

Graham Stuart: The Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys are appointed at the discretion and direction of the Prime Minister. The position of PM’s Trade Envoy to Libya has been vacant since my former colleague Sir Henry Bellingham stepped down as a Member of Parliament. I would take this opportunity to state my appreciation for all of the work he undertook to advocate UK trade in relation to Libya.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Land: Public Sector

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the amount of public sector land not in use that could be used for housing.

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the size of the land bank that could be used for housing held by the (a) the public sector as a whole, (b) the NHS, (c) Network Rail, (d) local authorities and (e) the armed forces.

Christopher Pincher: The Public Land for Housing programme (2015-2020) aims to identify and release surplus central government land with capacity for at least 160,000 homes in England by end March 2020. Since the start of the programme to end June 2019, departments had sold 508 sites with capacity for c48,000 homes. We confirmed to the Public Accounts Committee in 2019 that land for 160,000 homes will be released to a longer time frame due to the complexities of disposal and the evolving demands placed on departments’ estates.We are currently considering options for a next programme, reflecting on lessons learnt. Decisions on a future programme, including estimating the amount of centrally owned public sector land that could be used for housing, will be made at Spending Review.In addition, at Budget 2016, an announcement was made that councils would collaborate with central government on a local authority land ambition, working with their partners to release surplus local authority-owned land with the capacity for at least 160,000 homes by the end of March 2020. As of August 2019, two-thirds of local authorities in England were forecasting the release of land for approximately 128,000 homes by the end of March 2020. We will report on the final local authority land ambition numbers in Summer 2020 once the final set of data has been collected. We are considering options for the future of the local authority land ambition after March 2020, including estimating the amount of surplus local authority land that could be used for housing.Information on land held by individual sectors is continually refined.

Environmental Impact Assessment

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the EU Directives in respect of environmental impact assessments will apply during the transition period.

Christopher Pincher: The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive, continues to apply to the United Kingdom as it is implemented by domestic regulations preserved by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. This Act (as amended by the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020) also gives effect in domestic law to the United Kingdom’s obligations under the EIA Directive, until the end of the transition period.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the carbon emissions target is for new dwellings in England using the national calculation methodology standard assessment procedure; and what information he holds on that target in (a) Wales, (b) Northern Ireland and (c) Scotland.

Christopher Pincher: The target CO2 emission rate referred to in the Building Regulations 2010 is based on the regulated energy use of a modelled building with a number of set characteristics. There is no single target emission rate, as it is dependent on the features of the building being constructed, such as its size. The target emission rate and the actual building emission rate are both modelled using the national calculation methodology for homes, which is the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP). The modelling specification to calculate the target CO2 emission rate can be found in SAP Appendix R: https://www.bregroup.com/sap/standard-assessment-procedure-sap-2012/.Building Regulations are a devolved matter and therefore we do not assess the targets of Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland. However, like England's targets, the method for calculating the devolved nations' targets are published online. We also work closely with the devolved nations to share learning on building standards.

Buildings: Insulation

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the rate of use of external fire wall review forms in the last six months.

Christopher Pincher: The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) launched the EWS1 form on 16 December 2019, for use by industry. Government does not hold data on the number of EWS1 forms which have been completed and expects industry to monitor its use.

Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to review the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Government has no plans to work directly with local authorities to increase the provision of allotments.  However, in February 2020 the Government announced £1.35 million new funding for 68 community-led organisations in England that will, with the support of their local authorities, create new or refurbish existing parks and green spaces across England, many of which include community allotments and orchards as part of their plans.  This builds on the two previous Pocket Parks programmes the Government has run since 2015, making a total of 352 grants to community groups to create or renovate green spaces and representing a total investment of over £6 million in community green spaces.

Allotments

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to work with local authorities to increase the provision of allotments.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Government has no plans to work directly with local authorities to increase the provision of allotments.However, in February 2020 the Government announced £1.35 million new funding for 68 community-led organisations in England that will, with the support of their local authorities, create new or refurbish existing parks and green spaces across England, many of which include community allotments and orchards as part of their plans.This builds on the two previous Pocket Parks programmes the Government has run since 2015, making a total of 352 grants to community groups to create or renovate green spaces and representing a total investment of over £6 million in community green spaces.

Local Government: Carbon Emissions

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help local authorities set targets for lowering carbon emissions.

Christopher Pincher: 98 per cent of local authorities are taking action to reduce emissions from their areas, or from their own estate. Councils are vital agents for change, able to bring together local people and local opportunities, through effective use of planning, housing and waste management powers.   My Department is engaging with councils and the Local Government Association, as well as other departments in Westminster, to ensure this vital role is supported appropriately by central government policy.

Housing: Energy

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure new homes built in the next five years are energy efficient.

Christopher Pincher: The Government remains fully committed to meeting its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and recognises the important contribution that the energy efficiency of buildings has to make in meeting it. We have committed to introduce a Future Homes Standard by 2025. This means new homes will be fit for the future, with low carbon heating and lower energy use through high levels of energy efficiency.As a stepping stone towards the Future Homes Standard we are proposing a strengthening of these requirements in 2020 and then a further strengthening by 2025. We have consulted on a meaningful and achievable increase to the energy efficiency standards for new homes to be introduced through the Building Regulations in 2020.  The consultation closed on 7 February: we are considering the response and will publish a Government response in due course.

Housing: Energy

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many net-zero carbon new homes have been built in England in each of the last five years.

Christopher Pincher: The Government remains fully committed to meeting its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and recognises the important contribution that the energy efficiency of homes has to make in meeting it. We have consulted on a meaningful and achievable increase to the energy efficiency standards for new homes to be introduced through the Building Regulations in 2020, as a stepping stone to the Future Homes Standard. The consultation closed on 7 February: we are considering the responses received and will publish a Government response in due course. At present, the Government publishes energy efficiency data for homes drawn from Energy Performance Certificates, but does not routinely collect statistics on the numbers of zero carbon homes built in England.

Housing: Construction

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will include carbon emissions related to the manufacture, transport and construction of building materials used in building houses in the calculations on emissions for the Future Homes Standard.

Christopher Pincher: To consider embodied carbon at a building-level would require a standardised method of calculation supported by a robust evidence base and underpinned by widely adopted product standards. There is currently no widely agreed standardised method for certifying the embodied carbon of building products, so it was not included the Future Homes Standard consultation.

Social Rented Housing

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the net addition of social rented housing in England since 2010 taking into account (a) demolitions, (b) sales and (c) conversions.

Christopher Pincher: The Department does not produce estimates of net additions to the social housing sector, as not all the information on losses is collected to create such estimate. Information is not collected on losses to stock owned by non-registered providers; losses through conversions for smaller private registered providers or local authority stock held outside a Housing Revenue Account; and data on any other losses are not collected except for larger private registered providers (e.g. change of use).Data on gross additions to the social housing sector are available on live tables 1000 or 1000C which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supplyThe available data on sales and demolitions are available in tables 678 and 684 which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-social-housing-salesThe total size of the social housing stock rented from local authorities or private registered providers in England is published in live table 104 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants

Buildings: Insulation

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will visit Croydon North constituency to meet with leaseholders of Radnor House that are facing large bills for the removal of combustible wooden cladding from the building in which they live.

Christopher Pincher: The Department has regular engagement with residents living in buildings with unsafe cladding, including correspondence from residents of Radnor House.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Third Sector

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding he has allocated to civil society and campaigning bodies in each of the last three years.

Johnny Mercer: Civil society forms an essential part of our communities, and encompasses large, national charities, social enterprises, volunteers and small grassroots organisations, but what joins them all is the idea of creating social value to help build a better society. Government funding to civil society is ring-fenced for particular projects or programmes. Grant agreement terms and conditions prohibit grant funding being used for paid for lobbying and political campaigning. The Government Grants Register holds information on all grant schemes dating from 2013-14, and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-grants-register The Armed Forces Covenant Fund has £10 million per year to support projects, including funding various charities and support networks, that aim to improve the lives of the Armed Forces Community. The Fund is delivered by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, and Trustees decide on programme recommendations which are submitted to the cross-government Covenant Reference Group (CRG). Following approval by the CRG, these are delivered as priorities. Open and transparent criteria is published in the programme guidance documents and interested organisations apply in line with the published criteria. Applications are assessed, and expert advice may be sought where appropriate. Decisions on grants are made by the Trustees, and when funding is limited, grants are awarded to those applications which are based on a national portfolio perspective. Details on the projects the Trust has funded are available at: https://www.covenantfund.org.uk/grants-weve-funded/ Additionally, Armed Forces related LIBOR grants, including bespoke funds such as the Armed Forces Covenant Fund and Aged Veterans Fund, were committed by HM Treasury and administered by Ministry of Defence. Veterans, emergency services charities and other related good causes benefitted from hundreds of millions of pounds from LIBOR banking fines. With £773 million committed since 2012, the LIBOR grant scheme officially closed in 2017. Details on the total LIBOR funding allocated to projects by year, has been published at the following links: 2012-2015: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/armed-forces-covenant-libor-fund-successful-projects 2016: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/autumn-statement-2016-libor-commitments 2017: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/libor-funding-applications

William McMullen

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will assist in the awarding of a posthumous medal for the bravery shown by William McMullen in 1945.

Johnny Mercer: I pay tribute to the bravery of Royal Canadian Air Force Pilot Officer William McMullen in ensuring that his aircraft did not crash onto a built-up area; and to all others who sacrificed themselves in similar circumstances.However, no matter what the circumstances it is considered that those who had full access to the facts of the case contemporaneously were best placed to make judgements regarding medallic recognition.

Combat Stress

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on reductions in funding from NHS England to Combat Stress.

Johnny Mercer: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes the wellbeing of all veterans very seriously. MOD Ministers and officials have regular meetings with their counterparts in the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England to ensure that the health needs of veterans in England are properly considered.

EU Defence Policy

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence,  whether he plans to discuss with his EU counterparts changes to Third Country involvement in their Coordinated Annual Review on Defence.

James Heappey: As a non-EU country, the UK will not participate in the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), and we have no plans to ask for CARD to be open to third countries. The UK will, however, continue to call for full coherence between CARD and NATO's Defence Planning Process to avoid unnecessary duplication.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families in receipt of universal credit have been affected by the two-child benefit limit in (a) York Central constituency, (b) York Local Authority in (i) 2017-2018 and (ii) 2018-2019.

Will Quince: DWP and HMRC produce a joint report with statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children, the latest of which was published in July 2019 and can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2019 Providing support for a maximum of two children, or qualifying young persons in Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit, ensures fairness between claimants and those taxpayers who support themselves solely through work. We recognise that some claimants are not able to make the same choices about the number of children in their family, which is why exceptions have been put in place to protect certain groups. On migration to Universal Credit, families’ existing entitlement will be protected.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his oral contribution of 27 January 2020, Official Report, column 525 and pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2020 to Question 7257, on Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations, if he will make an assessment of the compatibility of his statement that 82 per cent of personal independence payment claimants were satisfied and the results in the table provided in that answer.

Justin Tomlinson: The 82% referenced in my oral contribution of 27 January 2020, referred to the overall satisfaction of PIP claimants in 2017/18 as published in the “Claimant Service and Experience Survey 2017/18”, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-claimant-service-and-experience-survey-2017-to-2018 PIP Assessment Providers, Independent Assessment Services (IAS) and Capita, have a separate Claimant Satisfaction target, set at 90%. They have consistently exceeded this target since the measurement began in 2016.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of appeals of a personal independence payment assessment were successful in 2019.

Justin Tomlinson: The table below provides information on the number of initial decisions following a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment where the decision was overturned at a tribunal hearing. Appeals cleared January to September 2019NumberOverturned28,160Upheld10,930Percentage of appeals cleared at a hearing where the decision was overturned (%)72 These figures cover appeals cleared in January 2019 to September 2019 against initial decisions following a PIP assessment. They do not include appeals relating to decisions prior to an assessment being completed (disallowances due to failure of basic eligibility criteria or non-return of the Part 2 form within the time limit and have not been marked as requiring additional support, or disallowances following the claimant failing to attend the assessment without good reason). Nor do they include appeals against decisions made at an Award Review or Change of Circumstance. Since PIP was introduced 3.4 million initial decisions following an assessment have been made up to June 2019, and 9% have been appealed and 5% have been overturned at a tribunal hearing.

Social Security Benefits: Endometriosis

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that guidance for disability benefits assessors accurately reflects the potential effect of endometriosis on ability to work.

Justin Tomlinson: While preparing to undertake an assessment, Healthcare Professionals can access a wide range of clinical resources to research any conditions presented. This includes evidence based protocols, e-learning modules or case studies, as well as keeping knowledge up to date through Continuous Professional Development. Healthcare Professionals employed by Centre for Health and Disability Assessment (CHDA) have access to a learning module on chronic pain that contains a section on endometriosis. CHDA also plan to develop and deliver a learning module on endometriosis as part of their upcoming Continuous Professional Development schedule.

Department for Work and Pensions: Third Sector

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the total amount of funding from the public purse given by her Department to (a) civil society and (b) campaigning bodies in each of the last five years.

Mims Davies: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to improve the mandatory reconsideration process to reduce the number of (a) disabled and (b) unwell benefits claimants who appeal to the First Tier Tribunal.

Justin Tomlinson: Last year we implemented a new approach to handling applications for Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) in PIP which includes contacting claimants, where appropriate, to see if there is information that would enable us to change the decision. To support this, we are investing additional time for communication, evidence gather and review. This approach supports our aim - to make the right decision as early as possible - so claimants don’t need to progress to the appeal stage. Early results have been positive and the same approach has now been adopted in ESA and UC. We continue to engage with stakeholders to explore how we can further improve the effectiveness of the MR process.

Public Sector: Speech and Language Disorders

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to improve the accessibility of public sector organisations to individuals with speech and communication difficulties.

Justin Tomlinson: The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations, came into force on September 2018. These regulations aim to ensure public sector websites and mobile apps are accessible to all users, especially those with disabilities. Existing public sector websites have until September 2020 to comply, while all public sector apps will have until June 2021 to comply.The Government is working towards publishing a National Strategy for Disabled People before the end of 2020. This will aim to achieve practical changes for disabled people, remove barriers and increase opportunity.

Disability

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when an annual progress report in respect of the Fulfilling Potential Outcomes and Indicators Framework was last published.

Justin Tomlinson: The last progress report for the Fulfilling Potential Outcomes and Indicators Framework was published in November 2015 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fulfilling-potential-outcomes-and-indicators-framework-second-annual-progress-report We want to achieve practical changes for disabled people, which remove barriers and increase opportunity. The Government has committed to publish a National Strategy for Disabled People before the end of 2020.

Universal Credit: Disability

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effect of the introduction of universal credit on the financial circumstances of disabled claimants.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government has made a commitment to publish a new National Strategy for Disabled People in 2020, focusing on removing barriers to ensure disabled people can lead a life of opportunity and fully participate in British society. The strategy will be developed with disabled people, disability organisations and charities, and will support disabled people in all aspects and phases of their lives, including housing, education, transport and jobs. Millions of people who move onto Universal Credit from legacy benefits are better off, including around a million disabled households who will gain on average around £100 per month. The Department takes seriously the need to support vulnerable claimants, and wants the application process for Universal Credit to be as quick and easy as possible, ensuring that claimants receive money at the earliest opportunity. We have listened to feedback on how we can improve Universal Credit to support our claimants and acted quickly, making improvements such as extending advances, removing waiting days, and introducing housing benefit run on. These changes are giving support to those who need it most, whilst at the same time helping people get into work faster. The Severe Disability Premium (SDP) gateway has been in place for over a year to prevent those claimants entitled to the SDP as part of their legacy benefit from claiming Universal Credit. We have successfully identified eligible former SDP claimants who have already moved to Universal Credit due to a change in circumstances, providing them with monthly payments and a lump sum in arrears, where appropriate. As of 17 January 2020, 15,397 claims have been paid an SDP transitional payment. The median value of the lump sum payments is £2,280. To date, over £51.5m has been disbursed to support former SDP claimants, including the recurring payments that have now commenced. Through our network of Jobcentres, the Department is taking a range of action to support disadvantaged groups, working closely with employers and partners in their local community to provide opportunities to help them move closer and into employment.

Universal Credit: Deductions

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of universal credit claims that have had a deduction applied had (a) up to 20 per cent, (b) between 21 and 30 per cent, (c) between 31 and 40 per cent and (d) more than 41 per cent deducted in the latest period for which data is available.

Will Quince: Holding answer received on 02 March 2020



This Government is committed to providing a strong welfare safety-net for those who need it. There is a well-established system of hardship payments, benefit advances and budgeting loans for those who need extra support. Our deductions policy strikes a fair balance between a claimant’s need to meet their financial obligations and their ability to ensure they can meet their day-to-day needs. Since October 2019, Universal Credit deductions are a maximum of 30% of a claimant’s standard allowance down from 40% previously. We also recognise the importance of safeguarding the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt, so last resort deductions over the 30% cap can be applied to protect vulnerable claimants from eviction and/or having their fuel supply disconnected, by providing a repayment method for arrears of these essential services. Of all eligible claims to Universal Credit Full Service due a payment in November 2019, 58% (1,307,000 claims) had a deduction. Of this 1,307,000 claims with a deduction: a) 44% (569,000 claims) had deductions up to and including 20% of the Standard Allowance (25% of all eligible claims). b) 52% (681,000 claims) had deductions between 20% and 30% of the Standard Allowance (30% of all eligible claims). For last resort deductions – c) 4% (51,000 claims) had deductions between 30% and 40% of their Standard Allowance (2% of all eligible claims). d) 1% (7,000 claims) had deductions above 40% of their Standard Allowance (0.3% of all eligible claims). Notes: 1. Claim numbers may not match official statistics caseloads due to small methodological differences.2. Claim numbers are rounded up to the nearest 1,000.3. Deductions include advance repayments and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.4. Deduction bands exclude the lower limit but include the upper limit, i.e. 'between 20% and 30% of the Standard Allowance' includes claimants having 30% of their standard allowance deducted but not those having 20% deducted.

Coronavirus: Quarantine

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial support is available for people who are self-employed in the event that they are required to self-quarantine due to covid-19 concerns.

Justin Tomlinson: Self-employed people who are unable to work due to coronavirus concerns may be able to claim Universal Credit and/or new-style Employment and Support Allowance depending on their circumstances.

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to ensure the provision of audio recording equipment for people who wish to keep a record of their personal independence payment assessment; and if she will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: I refer the Rt.Hon Member to the answer I gave on 10 February 2020 to Question UIN 12293.

Universal Credit: Mental Illness

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department will take to (a) identify and (b) support people with mental health problems during the migration to universal credit.

Will Quince: Our processes to move claimants over to Universal Credit will be co-designed with stakeholders, to ensure that we have listened and understood claimants’ experiences – we want a process that works well for everyone. The Managed Migration regulations provide the flexibility and fail-safes to protect vulnerable claimants. We are not moving everyone at once and we are designing a process to ensure a smooth transition with continuous support. Universal Credit provides unprecedented personalised support for people by simplifying benefits. People receive tailored support through work coaches, who know each person’s case. Work Coaches are trained to support claimants with mental health conditions and identify those who need support when transitioning to Universal Credit. The Department has developed an enhanced mental health training programme, which has been delivered to all work coaches, as well as other colleagues who may benefit from it, such as case managers and team leaders. We have also enhanced the role of the Disability Employment Advisers, who are actively providing advice and guidance on what works for claimants with disabilities, including those with mental health issues. Additionally, a commitment was made for monthly transitional payments to be made to eligible former Severe Disability Payment claimants who have already moved to Universal Credit due to a change in circumstances and to provide a lump sum arrears payment, where appropriate. This includes those who suffer from severe mental health conditions.

Coronavirus: Quarantine

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has plans to provide financial support to people that do not qualify for statutory sick pay and have to take time off work to (a) self-isolate and (b) be quarantined as a result of covid-19.

Justin Tomlinson: Employers have been urged to make sure they use their discretion and respect the medical need to self-isolate in making decisions about sick pay. Gig workers and those on zero hours contracts may be entitled to sick pay and can check here: https://www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay/eligibilityThose who aren’t entitled to sick pay, including those who are self-employed, can make a claim to Universal Credit and/or new-style Employment and Support Allowance.

Coronavirus: Quarantine

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of 26 February 2020, Official Report, column 326, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that employees that are required to self-isolate to prevent the transmission of covid-19 receive their full entitlement of sick pay.

Justin Tomlinson: Employers have been urged to make sure they use their discretion and respect the medical need to self-isolate in making decisions about sick pay. We will continue to review the situation and take appropriate measures in line with further developments.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies on the national disability strategy of the recommendations in Muscular Dystrophy UK’s report on disability benefits, entitled Below standard.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department places a strong emphasis on engaging with stakeholders to inform health and disability policy to ensure we are addressing the right problems in the welfare system. Muscular Dystrophy UK’s report entitled ‘Below standard: MDUK’s assessment of the benefits system’ offers insights into the challenges faced by people living with muscle-wasting conditions. Government will reflect carefully on these findings as part of the National Disability Strategy, which will be published by the end of the year, and in the DWP Green Paper on health and disability benefits and support.

Social Security Benefits: Terminal Illnesses

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims were (a) made, (b) refused and (c) granted for terminal illness payments using the DS1500 form in each month from January 2018 to December 2019; and if she will make a statement.

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants who received a payment in response to a DS1500 claim in each month from January 2018 to December 2019 died within (a) six months and (b) the first year of receiving their first payment; and if she will make a statement.

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants that were refused a payment of terminal illness benefits having submitted a DS1500 in each month from January 2018 to December 2019 died within (a) six months of their application being received and (b) one year of their application being made; and if she will make a statement.

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants that were denied access to personal independence payment in each month from January 2018 to December 2019 and subsequently submitted a DS1500 were (a) granted and (b) refused the terminal illness benefit; and if she will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The DS1500 can be completed by a terminally ill patient’s doctor or other healthcare professional and returned to DWP. The doctor or healthcare professional provides information about their patient’s condition, including its clinical features and ongoing or planned treatment on the DS1500. The DS1500 is not a claim form in itself and is not a requirement to support a claim under the special rules for terminal illness. A DS1500 can be completed during the claim process for various benefits: Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Universal Credit (UC), Attendance Allowance (AA) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA).”

Care Leavers: Local Housing Allowance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to extend the shared accommodation rate exemption for care leavers up to the age of 25; what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on local housing allowance provision for care leavers aged 22-25; and if she will make a statement.

Will Quince: There are no current plans to extend the exemption but for individuals who may require more support and whose circumstances may make it difficult for them to share accommodation, Discretionary Housing Payments are available. Since 2011 we have provided over £1billion in Discretionary Housing Payment funding, enabling local authorities to protect the most vulnerable claimants and supporting households to adapt to housing support reforms and we recently announced an extra £40 million in Discretionary Housing Payments for 2020/21, helping to tackle the most acute affordability pressures in the private rented sector.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Forests

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to protect ancient woodlands that will be affected by the HS2 development.

Rebecca Pow: HS2 is an exceptionally important infrastructure project, and there are significant compensation packages in place to mitigate for the unavoidable loss of 39.2 hectares resulting from HS2.HS2 is using a combination of approaches to compensate for the ancient woodlands lost during construction, including soil translocation from affected ancient woodlands to other woodlands to improve their biodiversity, restoring existing ancient woodland and planting new woodland.The HS2 Woodland Fund is the compensation strategy for ancient woodland loss, with £5 million provided for HS2 Phase 1. This has been made available to fund projects that will help support woodland creation, as well as restore and enhance woodland on private land or in partnership with multiple landowners. This fund is overseen by the Forestry Commission. £1.6 million of this fund has already been committed, supporting around 121 hectares of new native woodland creation and the restoration of 174 hectares of plantations within ancient woodland sites. £2 million more has been provisionally allocated for Phase 2a.

Peat

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page 45 of the 25 Year Environment Plan, what further measures he plans to bring forward to (a) phase out the use of peat in gardening composts and (b) ensure that the target to phase out the sale of retail peat by 2020 is met.

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Government's 2010 consultation on peat, whether it is his policy that the use of peat in amateur horticulture will end and more sustainable peat-free alternatives commence in 2020.

Rebecca Pow: The Government is committed to phasing out the use of peat in horticulture in England by 2030. In 2011 we introduced a voluntary target for amateur gardeners to phase out the use of peat by 2020 and a final voluntary phase-out target of 2030 for professional growers of fruit, vegetables and plants. While some progress has been made, we stated in the 25 Year Environment Plan that we would consider implementing further measures if there is insufficient movement to peat alternatives by 2020. We will set out our plans around the use of peat in horticulture in due course. We are working with the industry to make the transition to peat alternatives and to overcome barriers to their use. This includes, for example, jointly funding research with the industry on peat replacements in professional horticulture.

Peat Bogs: Fires

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of 28 October 2019, Official Report, column 31, what the timeframe is for bringing forward legislative proposals to end the burning of peatland; and if he will make a statement.

Rebecca Pow: The Government has always been clear on the need to phase out burning of protected blanket bog to conserve these vulnerable habitats, and we are looking at how legislation could achieve this.

Flood Control: Prestolee

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Environment Agency has to build a flood protection scheme in Prestolee, Bolton South East constituency.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency (EA) has removed sediment from the River Irwell since Storm Eva, assessed the viability of temporary defences and sprayed invasive species on the river bank so that construction of any potential flood wall can be done as efficiently as possible if this proves to be a feasible option. The EA has also supported the creation of a flood group who can share project updates, share real time flood information and flood forecasts, and gather knowledge and experiences to help understand the flood risk and help develop practical options. Running parallel to this, the EA has been working hard with its partners, including Bolton Council, to understand flood risk in Prestolee and Stoneclough and to develop measures that could be put in place to reduce that risk. The EA has surveyed the River Irwell at this location and completed a Strategic Business Case for a potential flood scheme. The next phase is to identify a preferred option. There is a funding gap to deliver the construction phase of this project and partners will need to step forward to close this before detailed design or construction can commence. The EA is holding a community drop-in session on 11 March 2020 to provide residents with an update and to hear their experiences over the last month.

Incinerators: Greater London

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many invalid emission reporting results there were at the Viridor energy recovery facility incinerator on Beddington lane in south London during January 2020.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency (EA) as the regulatory body for the site will receive the returns from the operator for January 2020. These will be submitted to the EA in April 2020 as part of the quarterly reporting process. This information is then reviewed and validated by the EA. Following this process the EA will be able to confirm the number of invalid emissions, if any.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Third Sector

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the total amount of funding from the public purse given by his Department to (a) civil society and (b) campaigning bodies in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: The Department’s finance system does not categorise suppliers in a way that would enable separate identification of funding to civil society and campaigning bodies. The only way in which we could obtain the requested information would be to manually go though payments to all suppliers and categorise them individually. This could only be done at disproportionate cost.

Flood Control

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of dredging rivers on flood prevention.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency (EA) prioritises those activities which achieve the greatest benefit in terms of better protecting people and property from flooding. Dredging and clearing channels are important parts of the EA’s maintenance regime, when it improves the channel’s ability to carry increased river flows and manage flood risk. In 2010, the EA carried out a comprehensive series of trials to review and update understanding of the benefits and effectiveness of dredging as one method for maintaining channel conveyance. The trials showed that dredging can reduce flood risk, but its effectiveness and value for money varies significantly depending on the location. Since then, further studies have been carried out, validating the results of this trial, including the Thames bathymetry review, which reached a similar conclusion. In many cases, rivers naturally return to their pre-dredged state very quickly, and therefore any flood risk benefits are so short lived that the work cannot be economically justified. The implications for downstream communities also need to be considered. The Somerset Rivers Authority and internal drainage boards have trialled alternative methods for dredging. These included small-scale trials of both cutter suction and water injection dredging, and a full-scale 5km trial using water injection dredging on the River Parrett. The trials demonstrated some potential to reduce costs of dredging in tidal rivers.In 2014, the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management produced an independent report entitled ‘Floods and dredging, A reality check’. This explored the effectiveness of dredging and is available at:https://www.ciwem.org/assets/pdf/Policy/Reports/Floods-and-Dredging-a-reality-check.pdf The EA uses the results of such trials and studies to decide where and how dredging will be effective, on a case-by-case basis.Typically over each of the past three years the EA has spent between £45 million and £55 million a year on channel maintenance of which between £5 million and £11 million is for dredging. Channel maintenance includes a range of activities to maintain conveyance such as dredging, weed cutting and removing blockages.

Flood Control: Prestolee

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the government plans to allocate funding to build a flood protection scheme in Prestolee.

Rebecca Pow: Allocation of funding to build a flood protection scheme in Prestolee will depend on the outcomes of the Spending Review for funding beyond March 2021. The Environment Agency will work with partners to secure other funding sources in addition to Government funding and local levy support from the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.

Greyhounds: Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to undertake a review the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010.

Victoria Prentis: Defra undertook a Post Implementation Review of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 which was published on 15 September 2016. The review found that, judged against their original objectives, the regulations have been broadly effective. The review also identified areas where the industry themselves should be taking further action and Defra have been working closely with the main industry regulatory body, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, to ensure these actions are taken.

Beverage Containers: Recycling

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made since August 2019 on the (a) scope, (b) model and (c) implementation of a deposit return scheme in England and Wales.

Rebecca Pow: Since the publication of the Summary of responses to the Consultation on introducing a Deposit Return Scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Defra officials have been developing proposals for a deposit return scheme for drinks containers using further evidence and ongoing engagement with stakeholders. We are seeking powers in the Environment Bill to introduce deposit return schemes, which can be set up to sustain, promote or secure an increase in recycling or reuse of materials, or to reduce the incidence of littering or fly-tipping. The Government is minded to introduce such a scheme for drinks containers from 2023, subject to further evidence and analysis. The proposed scope, model and implementation of a deposit return scheme for drinks containers will be presented in a second consultation in 2020.

Weather: Disaster Relief

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve the resilience of (a) national infrastructure and (b) local communities in the face of extreme weather events.

Rebecca Pow: The Government recognises the importance of identifying and preparing for a wide range of emergencies that could occur in the UK including extreme weather events. The Cabinet Office Civil Contingencies Secretariat undertakes an assessment of the likelihood and potential impact of a range of different civil emergency risks (including naturally and accidentally occurring hazards and malicious threats) that may directly affect the UK in the short term. A public version of this assessment known as the National Risk Register is available online at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-risk-register-of-civil-emergencies-2017-edition. Lead Government departments and Local Resilience Forums use these risk assessments to plan for, and improve the resilience of national infrastructure and local communities to, extreme weather events, alongside a wide range of other risks.The National Risk Register also signposts advice and guidance on what members of the public can do to prepare for these events. The National Infrastructure Commission has been commissioned to produce a resilience study, to be published this year, which should support the integration of resilience approaches into infrastructure policies and plans. Our second National Adaptation Programme (NAP), published in 2018, sets out how we will address climate change risks, including risks relating to extreme weather events, in the following five years. The NAP includes actions in a wide range of areas, including dedicated chapters on Infrastructure, and People and the Built Environment. Our second NAP is available online here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-second-national-adaptation-programme-2018-to-2023. The Government is currently providing support to over 90 organisations which have committed to report under the third round of the Adaptation Reporting Power, on actions they are taking to strengthen preparedness for climate change risks. This includes infrastructure providers, utilities and regulators across energy, water, transport and telecommunications sectors. Over the current six-year programme of work, the Government is investing £2.6 billion to better protect the country from flooding. This is funding over 1,000 flood defence schemes, which will better protect 300,000 homes by 2021. The Government pledged £4 billion over five years for flood defences in its manifesto. Defra will continue to work with the Environment Agency to consider future investment needs ahead of the Budget announcement on future floods funding on 11 March.

Pet Travel Scheme

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will apply to the European Commission for the UK to become a Part 1 listed third country under the EU Pet Travel Regulations.

Victoria Prentis: The Department has submitted its application to allow the UK to become a Part 1 listed third country under Annex II of the EU Pet Travel Regulations and is currently seeking technical discussions with the European Commission. As we have left the EU, it is now for the Commission to consider our application for listed status.

Fishing Catches

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information the Government Digital Service has received on the known variations between sales notes and logbook estimated fish weights when seeking approval of the catch recording app for fishing vessels under 10m in length; and who was responsible for providing that information.

Victoria Prentis: The purpose of the Government Digital Service (GDS) assessment was to ensure that, during the technical development phase, the project team developing the catch recording app had considered and met the GDS service standard. Details regarding the known variations between sales notes and logbook did not need to be provided to the GDS assessment panel as they were not relevant to the technical process of designing the functionality of the recording app.

Fishing Catches

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the estimated catch returns in (a) logbooks completed by fishing vessels required to have logbooks and (b) the catch records submitted by fishing vessels under 10m in length are expected to provide accurate information within the tolerances permitted.

Victoria Prentis: The purpose of introducing reporting requirements for the under 10 metre fleet in England, for both logbooks and electronic catch records, is to improve the available data and give a better and more accurate picture of what fish are being taken from our seas. There is an expectation that accurate data will be submitted and a margin of tolerance has been provided to reflect the practicalities of data submission for this fishery.

Fishing Catches

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the plus minus 10 per cent tolerance was first applied to estimating fish weights in logbooks on fishing vessels of 10 metres and over in length; and whether there has been a recorded change in the average variation between logbook entries and sales notes data over that period.

Victoria Prentis: The 10% tolerance became a requirement for fishing vessels of 10 metres and over in length following a revision to the EU Control Regulation in 2009. Prior to this regulation coming into force, EU legislation mandated differentiated tolerances for various species of fish. Since this date, data held by the Marine Management Organisation indicates that between 56% and 64% of fishing vessels submitted logbook data within the 10% tolerance.

Angling

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the outcome of the survey conducted in 2016 by his Department and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science on the effect on the economy of recreational angling.

Victoria Prentis: The Sea Angling Diary survey (www.seaangling.org) is carried out annually, it is analysed by Cefas (www.cefas.co.uk), and combined with information from the National Water Sports Participation Survey. It is used to understand the level of participation, catches and economic impact of sea anglers resident in the UK. The findings for 2016 and 2017 have just been finalised and will be published in Spring this year.

Tree Felling

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a legal target to end deforestation by (a) 2025 and (b) 2020 within supply chains for commodities included in the 2015 Amsterdam declaration on deforestation; and if he will make a statement.

Rebecca Pow: Defra has examined the possibility of setting a target aimed at ending deforestation in the UK’s commodity supply chains. Setting a target in law, whether it is aimed at ending imported deforestation in 2020 or in 2025, requires reliable metrics and an established baseline, as well as a robust understanding of any potential perverse incentives that it could create to ensure that impacts are not simply displaced, for example on to other ecosystems. We are working to develop an evidence base to inform the development of a potential future global footprint target.

Tree Planting

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the Government's progress in increasing tree coverage in the UK.

Rebecca Pow: The Forestry Commission produces statistics on new planting of woodland by area in the UK. These are Official Statistics produced to meet the standards of the Code of Practice for Statistics. Woodland area statistics can be found on the Forest Research website together with background information at: www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/forestry-statistics. The area of new planting (woodland creation) for the UK in each of the last five years, taken from the published statistics, which are reported in hectares, is shown below. The total area of woodland in the UK was 3,187 thousand hectares in 2019, covering 13.1% of the land area. New planting of woodland (thousands of hectares) Year  (ending 31 March)New planting2014-1510.302015-165.652016-176.512017-189.092018-1913.40 Source: Forestry Commission, Forestry England, Scottish Forestry, Forestry and Land Scotland, Natural Resources Wales, Forest Service grant schemes.

Carbon Capture and Storage

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that carbon sinks in the UK are not destroyed.

Rebecca Pow: To reach net zero we must protect and enhance the capacity of our natural environment to capture carbon. Our manifesto committed to invest in nature-based solutions to climate change through a Nature for Climate Fund, to increase tree planting, peatland restoration and nature recovery. The UK’s trees and woodlands currently capture 4% of our annual greenhouse gas emissions. We must protect the trees we already have, and plant more so that they can capture more carbon. That is why we committed to increase tree planting across the UK to 30,000 hectares of trees per year by 2025. Forestry regulations also ensure that when trees are felled, for example for timber, they should be replanted and the land restocked. Our peatlands are a natural carbon sink, but they have been drained and degraded, releasing emissions. We have therefore allocated £10 million to restore approximately 6,500 hectares of degraded peatland, reducing emissions, and will fund further restoration in this Parliament. Coastal wetland habitats such as saltmarsh and seagrass provide carbon sinks. In the UK, these habitats are protected in some Marine Protected Areas and we are looking at whether their protection could be expanded further. There are also wider measures under the 25 Year Environment Plan to secure clean, healthy, productive and biologically diverse seas.

Home Office

Police: Biometrics

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to regulate police use of facial recognition technology in public spaces.

Kit Malthouse: The High Court found in September 2019 that there is a clear and sufficient legal framework for police use of live facial recognition technology.The Information Commissioner’s Office has investigated the police use of it, and the Surveillance Camera Commissioner promotes compliance with the Surveillance Camera Code, and has produced guidance on the use of the technology.

Daniel Morgan Independent Panel

Mrs Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timeframe is for the publication of the report of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel.

Kit Malthouse: The timeframe for the publication of the report of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel is a matter for the Panel and the Panel publishes information on its website: https://www.danielmorganpanel.independent.gov.uk/panels-remit/faq/

Uighurs: Immigration

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government has taken to ensure that Uighur Muslims are allowed to enter the UK if they possess a valid UK visa.

Kevin Foster: All UK visa applications are considered on their individual merits and in line with UK immigration rules and guidance with the onus on the applicant to demonstrate they satisfy the immigration rules.A Uighur Muslim individual with a UK visa follows the same entry procedures as all other visa holders.After obtaining a visa all individuals need to establish their eligibility for admission at the UK border. Nationals of non-EEA countries must seek Leave to Enter in accordance with Immigration Rules from a Border Force officer. Ordinarily passenger passports or national identity cards are checked electronically at the border, but there are also times when extra checks are conducted at the discretion of Border Forcer entry officers.

Police: Recruitment

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on socio-economic diversity within the police force of the requirement for future applicants to the service to have a degree.

Kit Malthouse: It is important that we have a police service which is fit for the future. The new entry routes for police constables introduced by the College of Policing (an undergraduate degree in policing, a degree holder entry programme and a degree apprenticeship) are an important step in ensuring that we provide our police with the skills they need. The new entry routes will also bring consistency: at a time when we are increasing investment in policing and the police are actively recruiting additional officers, ensuring that new recruits across all forces meet the same consistently high standards is vital.The degree apprenticeship offers new entrants to policing the opportunity to earn a wage while becoming a police constable, with successful candidates acquiring a degree qualification at the end of the learning programme. This is an attractive option for people who want to take the first step in a rich and varied profession, meaning that forces will be able to encourage and maintain access to policing from people from all communities and backgrounds.

Hate Crime

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the guidance on the investigation of non-crime hate incidents.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of non-crime hate incidents in each of the last five years; and how much police time was recorded in the investigation of those incidents; and if she will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: The College of Policing has recently consulted on draft revised operational guidance on hate crime, which included clarity on responding to non-crime hate incidents. The College plans to publish this in due course to support forces dealing with hate crimes and hate incidents.The College of Policing is independent from Government and its role is clear: setting high professional standards; sharing what works best; acting as the national voice of policing; and ensuring police training and ethics is of the highest possible quality.The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of hate crime offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. Information is not collected on non-crime hate incidents or the investigative resource allocated to them.

Social Services

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans undertake a review the classification of non-supervisory care work as low-skilled work.

Kevin Foster: The classification of the skill level of jobs is based upon advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC).The MAC has been clear immigration is not the solution to addressing staffing levels in the social care sector.The Government is working alongside employers to ensure the workforce has the right number of people to meet increasing demands and have recently launched a national recruitment campaign for Social Care.Senior care workers who meet the criteria will be able to come to the UK through the points-based system.We are also providing councils with access to an additional £1.5 billion for adults and children’s social care in 2020-21.

Police: West Midlands

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Statement of 22 January 2020, Police Funding 2020-21, HCWS51, how many additional officers will be funded in the West Midlands from £51 million.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is delivering on the people’s priorities by recruiting 20,000 additional police officers over the next three years.West Midlands police have been allocated 366 officers in year one of the uplift, to be recruited by the end of March 2021.Decisions on the allocations of officers for years two and three are yet to be taken.

Migrant Workers: Northern Ireland

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the migrant salary threshold of £25,600 on the labour market in Northern Ireland.

Kevin Foster: The MAC advised against regional variations in these thresholds. We will deliver a future immigration system which works for the whole of the UK.The Government published “The UK’s Points-Based System: Policy Statement” on 19 February.Aligned with the independent Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) recommendation, the Government will reduce both the general salary and skills thresholds for those who wish to come to the UK under the new skilled work route.In delivering on its manifesto commitments for a new points-based system, the Government has considered relevant views, evidence, and analysis. We will also keep labour market data under careful scrutiny.The Home Office will publish further detail on the points-based system in due course and continue to engage with stakeholders across Northern Ireland on our future migration system.

Knives: Harlow

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she will take to reduce knife crime in Harlow.

Kit Malthouse: This Government is determined to turn the tide on knife crime in all areas, wherever it occurs. Across England and Wales, we are recruiting 20,000 more police officers over the next three years and increasing sentences for violent criminals. We have made it easier for the police to use enhanced stop and search powers and we will introduce a new court order to make it easier for the police to stop and search those who have been convicted of knife crime.We will also ensure that anyone charged with knife possession will appear before magistrates within days and we are also making £10 million available to the police to equip more officers with tasers. In addition, we have legislated through the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 to give the police more powers and to ensure knives are less likely to make their way on to the streets and we will also be introducing the Serious Violence Bill to place a duty on the police, councils and health authorities to work together to prevent and tackle serious violence.Over the last 12 months, we have increased police funding, by £1 billion this year and announced that the amount of funding available to the policing system in 2020 to 2021 will increase by more than £1.1 billion. We have also announced a targeted £25 million to tackle county lines drug gangs, given the links between drugs, county lines and serious violence and we have provided the £100 million Serious Violence Fund to provide support to the 18 police force areas most affected by serious violence. Of this, Essex Police has been allocated £1.76 million to pay for a surge in police operational activity, such as increased patrols in greater numbers for longer periods of times, as well as new equipment and technology, improved intelligence and targeting, and an enhanced investigative response.A further £1.16m from the Fund was invested in developing Essex Police’s Violence Reduction Unit.On 29 December 2019 the Home Secretary announced a further £35 million to continue funding Violence Reduction Units. Essex Police have been allocated another £1.16m for 2020/21 to continue to tackle the root causes of serious violence.

Health Services: Northern Ireland

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on the health and social care sector in Northern Ireland of the Government's proposed immigration reforms.

Kevin Foster: The Government has considered relevant views, evidence, and analysis. We are also working alongside employers across the whole of the UK to ensure the workforce has the right number of people to meet increasing demands and have recently launched a national recruitment campaign.The Government published “The UK’s Points-Based System: Policy Statement” on 19 February.To facilitate the migration of skilled workers to support the NHS, we will create a fast-track NHS visa for certain medical professionals with NHS job offers reducing their visa fees and providing support to come to the UK with their families.Senior care workers who meet the criteria will be able to come to the UK through the points-based system. The Independent Migration Advisory Committee, the MAC has been clear immigration is not the solution to addressing staffing levels in the social care sector.

Labour Mobility: Northern Ireland

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with employers in the (a) public and (b) private sector throughout Northern Ireland's border regions on the movement of labour required to ensure (i) effective service delivery and (ii) economic growth.

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions (a) she and (b) her Cabinet colleagues have had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the proposed changes to immigration policy.

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government's proposed immigration changes were discussed with the heads of the devolved Administrations at the recent Joint Ministerial Committee meeting.

Kevin Foster: We will deliver a future immigration system which works for the whole of the UK. The Government published “The UK’s Points-Based System: Policy Statement” on 19 February.This was based on the report of the independent Migration Advisory Committee which considered a range of evidence about the UK Labour Market. Immigration is and will remain a reserved matter.A new programme of engagement will begin this March to raise awareness of the new system, ensuring those affected by the changes are fully aware of what it means for them and understand how the system will operate. This will include engagement with stakeholders across Northern Ireland.

Housing: Refugees

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support her Department provides to ensure refugees are able to access secure housing following a positive asylum decision.

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on steps to support refugees that are leaving asylum accommodation following a positive asylum decision.

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will extend the move-on period for newly recognised refugees to 56 days.

Chris Philp: Asylum seekers who are recognised as refugees are eligible to the same level of assistance from local authorities to obtain suitable housing as British Citizens and other permanent residents, and are treated as having a priority need if they have children or are considered vulnerable. They are also eligible to apply for mainstream benefits from the Department of Work and Pensions.The Government is working on a number of important initiatives to ensure that newly recognised refugees are able to access benefits and housing promptly once their Home Office support ends, after 28 days.We have established a working group to consider what more we can do, which includes the key voluntary sector groups such as the British Red Cross and Refugee Council, as well as representatives of the Department of Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Police: Training

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the training needs required to provide for 20,000 new police officers.

Kit Malthouse: The Government has committed to increasing the number of police officers by 20,000 over the next three years. The Home Office is working with the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to ensure all forces are supported in the recruitment of new officers.Since 2018, there are now three new entry routes to become a police officer: Apprenticeship, degree-holder entry and pre-join degree. These routes are accompanied by a new, improved training curriculum for recruits, including cyber-enabled crime, vulnerability and risk, well-being and resilience, criminology and crime prevention, as well as separate modules on leadership and teamworking.

Police: Training

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she had made of the potential merits of establishing a national police academy to support the training of police officers.

Kit Malthouse: The College of Policing was established in 2012 as the professional body for everyone working in policing in England and Wales. Its purpose is to provide police officers and staff with the skills and knowledge necessary to prevent crime, protect the public and secure public trust.The College has three complementary functions: building a knowledge base, setting standards and education. The consistency of this national approach will contribute to the professionalism of the police service and put policing in line with other professions with regard to its formal education standards.

British Nationality: Assessments

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how often the Life in the UK citizenship test is reviewed.

Kevin Foster: The Life in the UK test is reviewed regularly to ensure the test remains effective and questions are updated to reflect amendments to the handbook. The last update was in February 2020.

Hate Crime

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will take steps to ensure that the College of Policing's Hate Crime Operational Guidance is amended to remove the requirement that police forces record non-crime hate incidents.

Kit Malthouse: The College of Policing has revised its operational guidance on hate crime to help provide clarity on responding to non-crime hate incidents, among other things. The College has consulted on this draft revised operational guidance and plans to publish this in due course to support forces dealing with hate crimes and hate incidents.The College of Policing is independent from Government and its role is clear: setting high professional standards; sharing what works best; acting as the national voice of policing; and ensuring police training and ethics is of the highest possible quality.

Biometric Residence Permits

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many biometric residence permits were produced in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019.

Kevin Foster: Based on production figures provided by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, who carry out Biometric Resident Permit (BRP) production on behalf of UKVI, the following volumes of BRPs were produced in each calendar year.  BRPs Produced2017823,9252018950,84220191,005,091

Immigrants: English Language

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the level of English language competency is that migrants are expected to reach to be eligible to work in the UK; and what criteria her Department uses to measure that competency.

Kevin Foster: We require individuals coming under existing immigration routes to demonstrate an appropriate level of English. Currently, for skilled workers, this is currently set at intermediate (B1) level. Applicants can meet this requirement if they:pass a Secure English Language Test at an approved test centre;are a medical professional who has passed an English Language assessment for their professional registration in the UK;hold a degree qualification which was taught in English;are a national of a majority English-speaking country; orhave shown that they meet the requirement in a previous immigration application.  Having a suitable English language requirement is crucial to ensuring people coming to live, work and study in the UK are able to integrate into society. Future requirements will broadly reflect current arrangements.

Abortion: Clinics

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to reduce harassment of (a) women attending and (b) healthcare professionals working at abortion clinics.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is clear that it is unacceptable that patients seeking healthcare advice or staff working in healthcare facilities should feel intimidated or harassed. This country has a proud history of allowing free speech, but the right to peaceful protest does not extend to harassment or intimidating behaviour and the law currently provides protection against such acts.The Home Office takes the matter of protesters outside abortion clinics extremely seriously. The Government recognises the adverse impact that anti-abortion protests can have on patients and staff, and the Home Office is keeping this important matter under review.My officials regularly liaise with national policing leads to assess if there have been any developments on protest activities outside abortion clinics. The Home Office would welcome any new evidence that becomes available on this important issue.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much per year a family of four EU citizens will have to pay to reside the UK after the end of the transition period.

Kevin Foster: The UK’s Points-Based Immigration System Policy Statement published on 19 February sets out how we will fulfil our commitment to the British public and take back control of our borders. People coming to the UK from any country in the world for the purpose of work or study, other than some short-term business visitors and short-term students, will need to obtain a visa for which they will pay a fee. A list of current fees can be found via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-fees-transparency-data.The Borders, Immigration and Citizenship System (BICS) is predominately funded by the user, and we think it is right that those who use it contribute to its cost, thereby reducing the burden on the UK taxpayer. We keep our fees for immigration and nationality applications under review and ensure they are within the parameters agreed with HM Treasury and Parliament, as set out in Section 68 (9) of the Immigration Act 2014.

Shoplifting: Young People

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the proportion of retail thefts carried out by young people in the last two years.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what comparative assessment her Department has made of geographical locations and the prevalence of retail theft.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office collects information on the number of police recorded shoplifting offences at Police Force Area (PFA) and Community Safe Partnership (CSP) level. These data are published quarterly and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables.Information on offenders is not available.

Shoplifting

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the appropriateness of the level of the £200 shoplifting threshold for police investigation.

Kit Malthouse: In 2014 the government changed the law to enable cases of theft from a shop of goods with a value of £200 or less to be dealt with as summary-only offences. This enables certain cases of shop theft to be dealt with as swiftly and efficiently as possible, enabling the police to prosecute uncontested cases in the future.This change has no bearing on the ability of the Crown Prosecution Service to prosecute a person for theft from a shop, or on the courts’ powers to punish offenders

Migrant Workers: Arts

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's policy paper, The UK’s Points-Based Immigration System: Policy Statement, published on 19 February 2020, whether her Department has made an estimate of the proportion of EEA citizens working in the creative industries who would have been denied a visa under those proposals since 2004.

Kevin Foster: Musicians and performers are a valued and important part of UK culture. The UK attracts world class artists, entertainers and musicians and that is not going to change under the new system.The Home Office continues to engage with the creative sector to ensure the future system will enable the UK’s cultural life to thrive.In delivering on its manifesto commitments for a new points-based system, the Government has considered relevant views, evidence, and analysis.More detailed analysis will be provided on the points-based system and individual routes will be published shortly.

Immigration Controls

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the proposed points-based immigration system on reporting of labour market abuse and exploitation in lower paid work.

Kevin Foster: The Government is committed to eradicating exploitation across all sectors of the labour market and migrant workers are no exception. Anyone can raise concerns of labour market abuse and exploitation in confidence with the Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority through their telephone line.

Immigration: Applications

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of immigration applications are decided within (a) six and (b) 12 months.

Kevin Foster: Information on our immigration routes with service standards and whether they have been processed against these standards is available as part of our transparency data, at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration.

Wales Office

Floods: Wales

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what additional capital funding he plans to allocate to the Welsh Government for local authorities in Wales affected by flooding following storm Dennis.

Simon Hart: My Department and others are determined to ensure that all of those affected by flooding are supported in the best way possible. Flood response in Wales is a devolved matter. The UK Government will look seriously at any request from the Welsh Government for additional support and assistance for flood relief, including additional finances.

Cabinet Office

Elections

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s press release of 5 May 2019, Government safeguards UK elections, what progress he has made on each of the four commitments made by his Department to safeguard UK elections.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to publish his Department’s consultation on electoral integrity.

Chloe Smith: The Government takes the integrity and security of our democratic processes very seriously.Further to my answers on 27 February (Official Record, Vol.672, Col 449), this Government is committed to ensuring elections are secure and fit for the modern age. Further details will be announced in due course.

Cabinet Office: Advertising

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the expenditure entries listed in the Cabinet Office transparency data for payments over £25,000 or above for December 2019, entitled, Exp - Purchase of Goods/Services - Marketing & Media - Advertising, refer to services performed before the entry date of December 2019.

Chloe Smith: The date in the expenditure entries listed in the Cabinet Office transparency data relate to the date payments were made.

Government Departments: Bullying

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to tackle (a) verbal and (b) non-verbal bullying of (i) civil servants and (ii) consultants working in Government departments.

Chloe Smith: The Civil Service takes bullying very seriously and has taken robust steps to ensure behaviours in our workplaces are acceptable for all employees. We will not tolerate bullying in any form, whether it is verbal or non-verbal, and where it is identified, it will be addressed.

Government Departments: Bullying

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taken to promote awareness of the Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination Action plan among Ministerial colleagues.

Chloe Smith: The Government is committed to ensuring that all staff are treated with dignity and respect. Ministers are subject to the Ministerial Code which they are asked to familiarise themselves with upon appointment.Dame Sue Owen’s report ‘Review of Arrangements for Tackling Bullying, Harassment and Misconduct in the Civil Service was published in September 2018 and is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/744907/TacklingBullyingHarassmentMisconduct-CivilService.pdf

Census: Sikhs

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to ensure a Sikh ethnic tick box in the forthcoming Census Order.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to ensure that the ethnic groups (a) Welsh Asian and (b) Welsh Black, Caribbean or African are identified under specific sub-headings on the form in the forthcoming Census Order.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to include a question on Welsh language proficiency in the 2021 Census; and what discussions he has had with the (a) Scottish Government and (b) Northern Ireland Executive on the inclusion of that question in censuses in those nations.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with representatives of the (a) UK Statistics Authority and (b) Office for National Statistics on the future of the Census after 2021; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The draft Census (England and Wales) Order 2020 was laid in Parliament on 2 March. It sets the date of the Census and the topics on which census questions are to be asked.Once made, the Order will be followed by Census Regulations for England and for Wales. The Regulations for England will be laid before Parliament. The Regulations for Wales are the responsibility of Welsh Ministers and will be laid before the National Assembly for Wales. The Regulations to be made by the Welsh Ministers will contain the final wording of the questions on Welsh language skills and ethnic group to be asked in the Wales census.As part of the Census Data Collection and Transformation Programme, the ONS is exploring how to produce census-type statistics more frequently than the decennial census, using other sources of data. The ONS will make a recommendation to the Government in 2023 on the future of the census.

List of Ministerial Responsibilities

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what targets he has set for the publication of an updated List of Ministerial Responsibilities on the gov.uk website after changes to ministerial responsibilities; and how often these targets have been met since the 2017 General Election.

Chloe Smith: The Government does not set targets for the publication of the list of Ministerial Responsibilities. However, details of Ministerial responsibilities can be found on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers).The List of Ministerial Responsibilities document has been updated periodically to reflect the Government as it stood on the day of publication. The history of updates can be seen on the ‘Government Ministers and responsibilities’ page on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-ministers-and-responsibilities).

Radio: Ministers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether it is the Government's policy that ministers do not appear on the Radio 4 Today programme.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government provides guidance to Government ministers on criteria for determining whether to accept invitations for media appearances.

Chloe Smith: This Government is committed to being open in their dealings with the press and to the principles of media freedom.Ministers from across Government have appeared on and been interviewed by a wide range of media on a daily basis and have spent time speaking directly to the British public in other ways.

Ministerial Policy Advisors

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much money has been spent on (a) recruiting, (b) employing and (c) dismissing special advisers since he took office.

Chloe Smith: A report on the numbers and costs of special advisers is provided to Parliament and published on an annual basis. The report for financial year 2018/2019 was published in December 2019 and can be accessed here: Annual Report on Special Advisers 2019.The report covering the current financial year will be published in due course.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Richard Thomson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his oral contribution of 27 February 2020, Official Report, column 467, what (a) vetting and (b) authorisation is required for people employed on a contractor basis as a special adviser.

Chloe Smith: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQs 18593, 18594, 18595, 18596, 18597 on 2 March 2020.

Treasury

Mortgages

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the availability of residential mortgages that extend beyond 25 years.

John Glen: Data collected by UK Finance shows that the proportion of residential mortgages taken out with terms extending beyond 25 years has increased steadily since 2009. In 2019, more than 60% of first-time buyers took out a mortgage with a term longer than 25 years.

Inheritance Tax

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to reduce Inheritance Tax to 10 per cent.

Jesse Norman: All taxes are regularly kept under review and as is customary for tax policy, any changes to Inheritance Tax would be delivered through a future fiscal event.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has plans to extend the soft drinks industry levy to sugary milk drinks.

Jesse Norman: If the evidence shows that industry has not made enough progress on reducing sugar, the Government may extend the SDIL to sugary milk drinks.

Electronic Publishing: Taxation

Mr David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what revenue has accrued to the public purse from taxation on the purchase of digital books.

Jesse Norman: The details that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) collect from taxpayers on their VAT returns do not provide enough detail to be able to quantify precisely the revenue raised from these supplies. HMRC do not require detail on particular products and customer types because it would place a considerable administrative burden on businesses.

Employment: Taxation

Mr David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue has accrued to the public purse from IR35 in each year since it was implemented.

Jesse Norman: The off-payroll working rules (IR35) have been in place for nearly 20 years. They are designed to ensure that individuals working like employees but through their own company pay broadly the same tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) as other employees who are directly employed. HMRC do not have an annual breakdown of revenue received from the application of the off-payroll working rules. The Government estimates that only one in ten personal services companies (PSCs) who should be operating the rules are doing so. This non-compliance is projected to increase from £700 million per year in 2017/18 to £1.3 billion per year in 2023/24. HMRC have measured the impact of reforming the off-payroll rules in the public sector and estimate that the reform has already raised an additional £550 million in income tax and NICs in the first 12 months since it was introduced.

Employment: Taxation

Mr David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to IR35 on the number of people working as (a) freelancers and (b) contractors in the UK.

Jesse Norman: The Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) published in July 2019 sets out HMRC’s assessment that the reform to the off-payroll working rules is expected to affect 170,000 individuals. The TIIN can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rules-for-off-payroll-working-from-april-2020/rules-for-off-payroll-working-from-april-2020. HMRC are undertaking an extensive programme of education and support to help organisations and contractors prepare for the reform. As a result of the review into the reform of the off-payroll working rules published on 27 February 2020, HMRC are ramping up communication, including webinars and guides, to support contractors in understanding the rules. This will complement the significant work already being taken to support businesses to prepare.

Local Government Finance

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on (a) the allocation of long-term funding for local authorities and (b) increasing the budget allocated for local authorities.

Steve Barclay: HM Treasury Ministers have regular discussions with Ministers at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The financial sustainability of local authorities remains a core priority for this Government. The 2020-21 local government finance settlement, which was approved by the House of Commons on the 24th February, will deliver the biggest year-on-year real terms increase in councils’ spending power for a decade. The future funding of local authorities is a matter for the next Spending Review.

Fuels: Tax Evasion

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the loss in revenue as a result of fuel laundering activities in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Jesse Norman: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimate the difference between expected revenues and the tax that is actually paid in the annual publication, Measuring Tax Gaps: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps. These estimates cannot be disaggregated by type of fraud, for example laundering. HMRC have estimated the oils (fuel duty) tax gap (including VAT) in Northern Ireland as follows: £40 million in 2017-18£40 million in 2016-17£50 million in 2015-16£50 million in 2014-15£50 million in 2013-14 The estimates for 2015-16 and earlier years were calculated using a different methodology and therefore cannot be compared to the estimates for subsequent years.

Treasury: Third Sector

Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the total amount of funding from the public purse given by his Department to (a) civil society and (b) campaigning bodies in each of the last five years.

John Glen: Civil society forms an essential part of our communities up and down the country. It includes large, national charities, social enterprises, volunteers and small grassroots organisations but what joins them all is the idea of creating social value to help build a better society. Government funding to civil society is ring-fenced for particular projects or programmes. Grant agreement terms and conditions prohibit grant funding being used for paid for lobbying and political campaigning. HMT has not contributed towards any funding for either civil society or campaigning bodies in any of the last 5 years.

Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the reduction in the number of free cash machines.

John Glen: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of ministerial discussions are not normally disclosed. Treasury ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, including banks, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. The Government recognises that widespread free access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK. The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) regulates LINK, the scheme that runs the UK’s largest ATM network. The PSR has used its powers to hold LINK to account over its commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs in the UK.

Tax Avoidance: Camberwell and Peckham

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people in Camberwell and Peckham constituency that will be affected by the 2019 Loan Charge after the Government has implemented recommendations of Sir Amyas Morse's review.

Jesse Norman: Of the estimated 50,000 individuals affected by the Loan Charge, the Government currently estimates that around 11,000 will be taken out of the Loan Charge altogether as a result of the changes announced by the Government in December 2019. In addition, individuals who have settled or are settling their tax liability with HMRC will also be out of scope of the charge. There is not yet a firm estimate of the number who will choose to settle and so be out of scope of the Loan Charge. Information is not currently available at constituency, borough or regional level.

Buildings: Insulation

Hilary Benn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will waive the charging of VAT on the cost of repairs to buildings with unsafe cladding.

Jesse Norman: In 2019, the Government announced the creation of a new fund which would cover the full cost of remediating the unsafe ACM cladding systems on privately owned high rise residential buildings.

Carbon Emissions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to carbon test each announcement in Budget 2020 against the (a) UK’s 4th and 5th carbon budgets, (b) Climate Change Act 2008 goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and (c) long-term temperature goal in the Paris Agreement to pursue efforts to limit temperature increase to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Barclay: The UK is already a world leader in clean growth and last year, the UK became the first major economy in the world to legislate to end its contribution to global warming by 2050. According to independent analysis from PwC, we have reduced the carbon intensity of our economy faster than any other G20 country since 2000. HM Treasury invites departments to set out the climate impacts of their bids for resources, and ministers take these into account when considering the environmental impacts of proposals. HM Treasury also launched a review into how the transition to a net zero economy will be funded, and where the costs will fall. The review will publish its findings in Autumn 2020.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Artificial Intelligence: Research

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support he is providing to ensure UK-based academics can access adequate computer technology to carry out effective research on artificial intelligence.

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to support good governance and ethical considerations at institutions carrying out artificial intelligence research.

Mr John Whittingdale: Historically, UKRI councils have advocated for responsible research and innovation approaches. EPSRC has advocated and established a flexible and proportionate approach for its community (and staff) to consider what Responsible Innovation means for their activities. The development of the AREA framework was introduced in 2013. This encourages everyone involved in the research to describe and analyse possible impacts that may arise from their research activities, reflect on what that may mean going forward, openly engage with others, and to use these processes to influence the direction and trajectory of the research. Within the UK, there are a number of activities and initiatives around responsible research and innovation in AI and providing leadership in this space. Examples include the Ada Lovelace Institute, The Alan Turing Institute, The Observatory for Responsible Research and Innovation in ICT (ORBIT). UKRI is making investments in research to understand and implement the properties of Trustworthy AI across all applications of AI but this is a relatively new research area in which still further research is needed. Responsible, trustworthy AI is also a consistent theme in the investigations and strategic approaches of key UK and international stakeholders. For example, the G20 AI Principles and OECD Recommendations on AI focus on Responsible AI as a key theme for international AI development going forward. Through the Royal Society’s report ‘Machine Learning: The Power and Promise of Computers that Learn by Example’ the breadth of the responsibility challenge was illustrated, with clear current public concerns and barriers to adoption discussed as well as opportunities if fully Responsible AI is adopted.

5G

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the announcement by his Department on 20 February 2020 of a £65 million package for 5G trials, what the Government's policy is on security in the telecommunications supply chain in respect of those trials; and what decisions have been made in respect of the identity of the suppliers that will provide the infrastructure for those trials.

Matt Warman: The recent announcement of a new £65 million package of 5G trials forms part of the DCMS £200 million 5G Testbeds and Trials programme. That included £35 million for nine winning projects from our rural and industrial 5G competitions, and a new £30 million open competition - 5G Create - that will launch in due course. The Programme ensures that each of our projects has a security strategy in place that identifies and mitigates security risks and is proportionate for R&D environments. Testbeds are encouraged to employ nationally recognised standards and best practice security approaches. This includes identifying and mitigating supply chain risks and taking steps to manage High Risk Vendors. None of the successful projects announced as part of Industrial 5G and Rural Connected Communities will use equipment from high risk vendors. We will publish guidance in due course for our 5G Create competition when it launches.

Food: Tourism

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support food tourism in (a) the UK and (b) Rutland and Melton constituency.

Nigel Huddleston: The £45m Discover England Fund supports the development of internationally marketed tourism products, including food tourism experiences. The Gourmet Garden Trails project, for example, promotes a range of regional culinary-themed itineraries.VisitBritain has created a number of Food and Drink Tourism Hubs to showcase food and drink experiences available across the UK. VisitBritain also includes the Melton Mowbray pork pie in its guide to English food and drink in the East Midlands.

Migrant Workers: Service Industries

Sir Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) EU and (b) overseas nationals employed in low-skilled jobs in the (i) catering and (ii) hospitality industries.

Nigel Huddleston: My department has not made a direct estimate of the number of EU or overseas nationals employed in low-skilled jobs in the catering and hospitality industries.In August 2019, research released by the Office for National Statistics estimated that 501,000 non-British nationals work in tourism in the UK. Of these, just under two thirds were EU nationals, just over a third non-EU nationals.

Olympic Games: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has plans to underwrite the funding for the 2020 Olympic team as a result of declining returns for good causes provided by the National Lottery.

Nigel Huddleston: Part of Team GB ’s undoubted success is the long-term planning that goes into UK Sport’s world-leading operation, and Lottery funding is crucial to UK Sport in making its funding allocations on a four year basis ahead of each Olympic Games. Should UK Sport’s expected National Lottery income fall below the level assumed at the time of the Spending Review in 2015, DCMS will underwrite additional funding for Team GB (and ParalympicsGB) to be properly supported and to allow our most talented athletes to achieve success in Tokyo. After some decline in 2015/16, National Lottery income has now stabilised at approximately £1.6 billion per year. The latest data published in February 2020 by the Gambling Commission suggests this recovery is set to continue - in 2019, 30% of people aged over 16 reported having played a draw-based game in the last month, up from 28% from the previous year.

Greyhound Trust: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with representatives from the UK Gambling Commission on the commission's 2019 funding commitment to the Greyhound Trust; and what estimate he has made of the value of the funding allocated to that trust by the commission.

Nigel Huddleston: The Gambling Commission does not provide funding to the Greyhound Trust. Most betting operators pay voluntary contributions of 0.6% of their turnover from greyhound racing to the British Greyhound Racing Fund, who use some of this to provide funding for the Greyhound Trust.

Football: Beaches

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support he is providing to help England Beach Soccer establish a northern beach soccer league.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government is committed to supporting people to get involved in sport and physical activity in whatever way best suits them. To date, Government has not invested in, or been approached for investment in, beach soccer. Subject to eligibility requirements, England Beach Soccer may be able to apply for funding from Sport England’s Small Grants Fund which provides amounts up to £10,000 for projects that help people to lead more active lives. It may also wish to explore making an application to the Football Foundation’s Grow the Game Fund.

Rugby

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) Premiership Rugby Limited and (b) the Rugby Football Union on the governance of rugby clubs.

Nigel Huddleston: The stewardship of rugby union in England is the responsibility of the Rugby Football Union, as the National Governing Body for the sport. The Government expects good governance from all our sports bodies, as set out in the sports governance code. Government ministers and officials have regular meetings with sports governing bodies to discuss a wide range of issues, including the stewardship of their sport.

Nuisance Calls

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to prevent nuisance telephone callers making unwanted calls after a telephone number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service.

Mr John Whittingdale: The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) impose strict obligations on organisations that make direct marketing calls to individuals in the UK. Organisations must not call a number that has been registered on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) list. For calls relating to pensions and personal injury claims, calls must not be made at all unless the consumer has provided his or her consent. The Information Commissioner is responsible for enforcing PECR and publishes details of the actions it has taken for breaches of the legislation on its website:https://ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken/nuisance-calls-and-messages/ We are committed to reducing the level of nuisance calls and continue to work with industry and regulators to identify further steps to tackle the problem. For example, we have been working with National Trading Standards to supply call blocking devices to some of the most vulnerable in society.

House of Commons Commission

Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the latest estimate is of the cost of the restoration and renewal programme for the Palace of Westminster.

Pete Wishart: The cost estimate for the restoration and renewal (R&R) programme, including the restoration of the Palace and temporary accommodation for the House of Lords, will be determined as part of an outline business case (OBC), which is being prepared by the R&R Sponsor Body. The OBC is being developed in line with the resolutions agreed by both Houses in early 2018, which endorsed the Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster's recommendation that a full and timely decant of the Palace was the best and the most cost-effective delivery option. In June 2015 the Independent Options Assessment (IOA) was published. It was produced by a Deloitte-led consortium in 2015, and was then considered by the Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster which published its report in 2016. Both these events predated the establishment of the shadow Sponsor Body in September 2018. For full decant, the IOA estimated indicative costs for comparative purposes at between £3.52 billion and £3.87 billion, and assumed a construction start date of 2020. It cautioned that no budget could be set until a detailed design brief and means of delivery were agreed, and that these figures should not be taken as setting or estimating a budget for the Restoration and Renewal Programme. The IOA was not intended to provide fully costed estimates for the programme as they would be contingent upon full surveys, inspections, designs and the agreement of requirements. To provide these is the purpose of the shadow Sponsor Body's outline business case. Once the programme's scope, requirements and forecast benefits have been determined the proposed approach to the works, including a funding envelope and schedule, will be put before both Houses for decision in 2022 as required by section 7 of the Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019. Throughout the development of the OBC there will be a rigorous review of all options and costs, in line with best practice established by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority and external reviews by the National Audit Office.

Women and Equalities

Faith Schools: Gender

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on ensuring that faith schools encourage equal opportunities and aspirations regardless of a pupil's gender.

Elizabeth Truss: I meet Cabinet colleagues, including my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education, to discuss equalities issues as appropriate.It is unlawful for a school to discriminate against a pupil by treating them less favourably in a number of respects because of their sex. This applies to all schools, including maintained and independent faith schools.